Pretending That She Don't Care
by BleedtoLoveHer
Summary: The Games don't exist, but Katniss is still just as adverse to relationships. A story of how Katniss and Peeta come together without the arena. AU
1. Chapter 1

He was staring at me.

Again.

The constant burn of Peeta Mellark's eyes on the back of my head during our Panem History lesson should be something that I'd gotten used to by now. Maybe I would have if there was any logical reasoning behind it, but there wasn't. As far as I could remember, Peeta had never spoken a word to me, aside from asking if I had a pencil he could borrow back when we were like, twelve. Even then, he hadn't made eye contact. He hadn't even said a word the day he gave me the bread. Part of me wished that he had acknowledged it at some point over the years, simply so I could thank him for it without having to be the one to initiate the conversation. The other part of me was thankful for his silence because I knew there was no way to properly show my gratitude. I've never been particularly good with words, and wouldn't even have known where to start.

Peeta Mellark and I couldn't have been any different if we'd tried. Sure, we were the same age, had most of the same classes at school, and had lived in District 12 our entire lives, but those lives were like night and day. He had grown up in town; his family living cozily above the bakery that they ran. I didn't doubt for a minute that he'd never known what it was to be hungry. Just his stature alone pointed to that much. He and his two older brothers were all well-built, not quite stocky, but each exhibited a muscular frame that most kids from the Seam were never able to achieve. His blonde curls, bright blue eyes, and fair skin were so very opposite of the dark-hair, grey-eyes, and olive skin that I possessed. It was those few physical traits that separated all town kids from those of the Seam.

Peeta was also well liked in our school. I'd even go as far to say that he was one of the more popular kids. He was athletic, polite, and always surrounded by a group of was almost always seen with a smile on his face. My smiles were much more guarded, and seldom seen in the school hallways. They were reserved for the few people that I kept close. I was, by no means, considered popular. Another reason I could never wrap my head around the fact that I, more often than not, caught him staring at me during most of our classes together.

As soon as the bell signaling the end of the period rang, I was out of my desk and at the door. Lunch was next on the schedule, followed by our gym class. These were the two high points of my days at school. I would not only be able to check on my little sister, Primrose, but also spend some time with Gale. I allowed myself a small grin as I spotted them already sitting together at our usual spot near an old oak tree. Prim was talking animatedly to Rory, Gale s little brother, about something and it didn't take a genius to recognize the look of pure adoration on his face. Prim and Rory were both 12, and had practically grown up together after both our dads were killed in an accident at the coal mines when we were younger. The fact that Gale and I had practically been thrust together by our need to keep our families alive was the only good thing that had happened to me since then.

Gale, at 18, was two years older than me. He was a head taller, with tanned skin, dark hair that hung down to his chin, and a broad, muscular build. I know I said earlier that most Seam kids never were able to achieve a build like this, but over the years, Gale's genetics had won out over the odds. He was my best friend. I wasn't stupid, though, nor was I deaf. I had heard the girls at school whispering about him; talking about how handsome he was, how strong he looked, and how much they disliked the fact that I was always hanging around him. I didn't put much stock into what other people thought, however.

Like I said, he was my best friend. That was all. It was hardly my fault that he didn t pay attention to those girls, and I was content to let them continue thinking whatever they wanted about the two of us.

"Hey, Catnip," He grinned at me once I got closer to the tree. He scooted over to make room for me to sit on the narrow bench beside him, and went back to watching Rory and Prim the same way that I had been doing on my walk over. He nudged my side after I sat down, and nodded his head in their direction. "I think Rory's in trouble."

"Oh?" I replied, pretending not to know what he was talking about. I took my lunch, however measly it was out of the brown paper sack I had been carrying it in, and laid it on the table in front of me. "Why's that?"

"Rory's not in trouble, Gale!" Prim exclaimed from across the table. "I mean, he may not understand the point of the story that Ms. Whitmer has been reading to us in English, but I doubt he'd get into trouble for it."

Not wanting Gale to embarrass his little brother by outing his crush on Prim, I leaned forward on my elbows, pretending to take great interest. "And what story is that, Prim?"

"It's called Romeo and Juliet. Apparently, it s a really old story that some guy wrote centuries ago..."

Prim kept talking, but I drowned her out as I looked back over at Gale, and then to Rory again. Sure enough, Rory's eyes never left Prim's face as she went on about the beauty of the love that the story told. I thought it was sweet that Rory had a crush on Prim, despite my general views on the dangers of relationships and love in general. I was about to whisper that to Gale, when he placed his hand so close to mine on the table that the sides were touching, causing me to freeze. I sat up straighter, and turned my head to my right, away from Gale and the rest of the table. My eyes almost immediately locked onto a pair of crystal clear blue ones across the courtyard, and I suddenly felt stifled by the intensity of them, and the heat radiating from Gale's hand beside mine.

I stood quickly, nearly knocking my thighs against the edge of the table, and mumbled something about having to get something from my locker before gym. I pushed my lunch toward Prim, and gave her a quick, small smile.

I was only a few feet away when I heard Gale's voice, directed at Rory.

"These Everdeen girls are going to be the death of us, aren't they?"


	2. Chapter 2

Running away like that was pretty stupid of me; First, because my locker was on the opposite side of the school from my gym class. Second, avoiding Gale and Peeta was impossible considering they were both in said gym class. I shook my head to clear my thoughts, and rolled my eyes at my actions. Instead of going to my locker, I walked toward the girls' bathroom at the end of the hallway, and spent the following fifteen minutes sitting on the yellowing, cracked sink top.

To be honest, I wasn't even sure why I had reacted the way that I had. It wasn't as if I hadn't caught Peeta's eyes on me before. In the last few months, it also wasn't terribly uncommon for Gale to sit a little too close, or make a comment that caught me off guard. Before that day, though, I had simply brushed the actions of both boys off. I was still contemplating what had happened when the bell signaling the end of the lunch period rang.

When I entered the gymnasium, I was immediately yanked to the side by my elbow. I really didn't think that Madge had that kind of strength in her, and gave her a slightly impressed nod as I turned to face her.

"Katniss! You do know what we're learning for the next two weeks, right?" She exclaimed in what was probably the most excited voice I'd ever heard her use.

Madge Undersee was probably, aside from Gale, the best friend that I had in school. You never would have expected it to be that way, considering that her dad was the Mayor. In a district where you had the dirt poor (Seam residents), and the not quite as poor (Town residents) however, being one of the only truly rich kids set you apart from everyone else. True, at first I had treated her as an outsider just as much as anyone else in our school, but after my dad died, and I had taken over selling strawberries that we gathered to her father, I started to feel bad for how lonely she seemed. All it had taken was one small conversation one morning when her father had been too busy with official business to handle a sale, and we'd been friends ever since.

"Please, enlighten me."

"Dancing! The Spring festival is coming up!"

Madge was practically bouncing up and down as she spoke, and I couldn't help but let out a small laugh. One of the main differences between the two of us, aside from the wealth thing, was that she was inherently girly. Currently, while I was sporting a pair of slim, tan pants, tucked into my boots, and a long-sleeved, rust colored shirt, she was dressed in a pale blue, knee-length dress. She talked about the boys' in our gym class physiques with obvious romantic interest, whereas I admired their strength with more of a jealous edge. While she was obviously looking forward to the next two weeks of dancing in circles, followed by a big group dance at the Spring festival, I was more apathetic to the situation.

I leaned toward her, gently nudging her shoulder with mine, and let out a very monotone, "Yay."

"Oh, shush!" She giggled, as we walked over to the bleachers to await instructions. "Maybe I'll get paired up with—Oh! Hi, Gale!"

I kept my eyes facing forward as I felt him lower his body onto the bleachers beside me. He leaned forward, peering over me toward Madge and nodded his hello. Madge knocked her knees with mine, and I fought hard not to snort at her attempt to be calm and collected. She'd recently moved on from her previous crush on Julian Mellark, Peeta's older brother who was also in our class, to none other than Gale Hawthorne. Of course, she'd never actually spoken to him one on one, and instead chose to use me as a middle man for each conversation they had.

"So, Gale," She started, leaning forward and over me, mirroring Gale's current position. "Hope you wore your dancing shoes today!"

Gale stiffened, and suddenly looked uncomfortable.

"Yeah, I'm not sure I own a pair of those."

Madge looked absolutely horrified at the sentence that had just tumbled from her mouth, and started to speak again, only to be interrupted by Coach Marrok. He told the boys to line up on one side of the gym, and girls on the other. Gale stood without another word, and walked across the gym to take his spot. I turned to Madge to see her holding her head in her hands, and grabbed her arm to help her up.

"Come on, Smooth Talker," I muttered as we walked over to join the girls' line. She gave me a weak smile, and we turned to listen to instructions from the coach.

I wasn't too worried about the next two weeks of dancing in gym, really. We did this every year, though this was the first time that my class would be performing for the upcoming festival. While I wasn't very interested in the act of dancing myself, it was still better than listening to lectures on coal production in history. Even better than some previous activities in gym that, more often than not, ended up being a pissing contest between all of the guys.

We listened as the coach laid out what we would be doing over the following two weeks. Basically, everyone was already familiar with the dances, so we were all expected to perfect them before the performance.

I remember when our father was still alive, how much fun the event was, and how much Prim and I looked forward to it each year. A weekend full of nothing but dancing, songs, and time spent with friends and family. Even the mines were shut down in order to allow all the workers to be in attendance. Some of my most cherished memories of my father consisted of us all around the bonfire that was built after the sun went down, mesmerized by his voice and the songs that he sang. After he died, had it been left up to me, I would have never attended the festival again. Prim still loved it, though, and I would never ask her to give that up for me.

I hadn't realized that I had gone into a daze until I felt Madge grab my elbow. She was pulling me forward, causing me to stumble over my feet. It took me a few seconds to catch on to the fact that we were making our way to the center of the gymnasium in order to pair up with the boys from the opposite side. Snapping out of it, I looked up right before colliding with the person who would be my dance partner for the next two weeks, as well as during our performance.

Peeta Mellark.


	3. Chapter 3

I threw my hands up in front of me to stop myself from tumbling over, and immediately knew that had been a mistake. With both my palms splayed across his, surprisingly firm, chest, Peeta actually laughed at me before gripping my forearms to ensure I didn't stumble further. I righted myself quickly, and looked up to find him grinning at me.

"Are you alright?"

There. The first words Peeta Mellark ever spoke to me were to inquire about my safety after a very rare showcase of clumsiness.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just lost my balance," I cut my eyes over toward Madge, and gave her the best glare that I could muster. "I'll try not to let it become a trend."

I felt my face start to burn as he nodded at me, a crooked smile still on his face. It was at that moment that I realized that not only was I actually blushing, but my hands were still held against his chest, and his were still loosely enclosed on my arms. I looked down at where our hands were, and, by his sharp intake of breath, realized that Peeta had also been unaware to the fact as well. He made a choked, laughing sound in the back of his throat, and we both dropped our arms to our respective sides. I couldn't believe that I was actually blushing!

"Sorry," He muttered, no longer making eye contact with me.

I nodded, and looked away as well. About six boys down, Gale was staring at me with an intense look on his face. I tore my eyes from his direction as well, and decided the only safe place to look then was probably at my own feet.

A quiet, girly cough caught my attention a few seconds later, and I looked back up. I barely had the patience to stop my eyes from rolling as I saw that Elyse Marten had placed herself right beside Peeta. She smiled brightly at him, and proceeded to bat her eyelashes to point that I wanted to ask if she had something stuck in her eye.

"Hi, Katherine," She turned, apparently speaking to me. "How are you?"

"It's Katniss."

"Oh, silly me," She smiled, turning to Peeta to give him an 'Oopsie' look. "Sorry. Listen, I was wondering if you'd by any chance want to switch partners. I was thinking that you might feel a little more comfortable with someone that you knew."

I looked down the row across from me to find that her, now abandoned, partner was a boy that I had never talked to, or even had a class with. There was no doubt that he was a fellow Seam kid, though. I couldn't even remember his name. I was just opening my mouth to reply, when Peeta spoke up.

"Actually, Elyse, we're fine. Thanks, though."

I was pretty surprised by the calm, but direct tone he had taken with her. Elyse was a merchant kid, who lived in town like he did. She was pretty, popular, and most of the guys in our class would have gladly taken her on as their dance partner. Peeta looked like he would rather be spit at than have to, though. Elyse let out a little huff, and walked away without so much as a reply.

"Sorry," He rolled his eyes as he watched her return to her spot._ "I didn't mean to speak for you… I just really, really did not want to deal with her. She can be kind of intense."_

_"Oh, really?"_ I quirked an eyebrow at him, as well as at the hand he had laid back on my arm. He was really rather touchy.

"You have no idea! She's been by the bakery before school twice this week alone. Always leaning on the counter, trying to start up conversations with me while I'm trying to work. Really, watching her try to talk over all of noise in the…"

He drifted off mid-sentence, and let out a sigh.

"Sorry. I'm talking too much. Just punch me in the arm if you want me to shut up, or anything. Like I said, I just _really_ didn't want to deal with Elyse, but if you'd rather have Erick as a partner, though-"

I punched him lightly in the shoulder before I even realized what I was doing, and he stopped speaking abruptly. Peeta Mellark had gone from never saying a single word to me in all the years that I'd known him, to not being able to shut up. I'd never thought he would be so easy to open up, and even though I hadn't said much in the way of conversation, I could tell he would be easy to talk to as well. Also, I didn't want to dance with the guy whose name was apparently Erick.

"We're good, Peeta," I spoke; giving him what I hoped was a small smile. "I'll protect from Elyse's evil ways."

"Thanks." His reply seemed sincere, and we continued to stand there for another few seconds before Madge came up from behind me. She tugged softly at the end of my braid.

"Uh, Katniss…" She then looked around the gym quickly, assuring my eyes followed hers. Peeta and I were the only partners still standing in the middle of the floor, while everyone else had taken their spots where the dancing would begin. I stepped back, without another look in Peeta's direction, and followed Madge quickly to where I was supposed to be.

The rest of the class passed in a hurry. There was no real interaction needed between dance partners for the moves taught that day, and I was pretty thankful for that small fact. At the end of the period, both Gale and Madge had tried to stop me, to talk, but I just acted like I didn't hear them, and continued on to my next class. This was the last of three classes that Peeta and I shared, but before that day it hadn't seemed to matter.

I slid into my desk in my final class of the day, English, and sat in confusion for the hour that followed. I had managed to go for sixteen years without worrying about boys, or the effect that they had on me, and in one day, that streak had been absolutely shattered. It had started to rain since lunchtime, and I watched as the drops of water created streaks in the coal dust that coated the outside of the classroom's windows. I found it fitting that the weather seemed to serve as a reminder of why I never put any stock into romance.

The world that we lived in was not a happy one. In District 12, our futures were bleak, and the black coating on the outside of the window I was seated beside was an indication of just that. If I had grown up in town, perhaps I would have had a different outlook on things. Seam kids usually grew up to work in the mines. We were condemned to a life of long hours of hard labor, and little to show for them in return. Romance, in my opinion, only lead to that life, with the addition of having to watch those that you loved suffer, as well.

My father had made it look so easy. His death served as a purpose to make me conscious of the fact that in the world we resided in, things could go wrong in a heartbeat. The morning of the day he died, we had all sat around the kitchen table together for breakfast. Prim and I had watched as he had twirled our mother across the room with a smile his face before kissing her goodbye. By the end of the day, he was dead, and our lives had been changed forever.

The bell rang, and tore my eyes away from the window to gather my things. I hurried past where Peeta was standing next to his desk, and made my way to meet Prim. I found her in our usual meeting place, and wished we had thought to grab an umbrella before leaving the house that morning. If she ended up getting sick, I'd feel terrible. She was leaning against the lockers near the exit talking to Rory, and I felt my stomach tighten at the sight of Gale standing with them.


	4. Chapter 4

Our regular walk home that day turned into more of a run because of the rain. I didn't complain considering it saved me from what would have inevitably been an uncomfortable conversation between me and Gale. I managed to avoid eye contact with him until he said a quick goodbye as we reached their house.

That evening consisted of helping Prim out with her homework, and listening to her go on and on about how much she loved the story of Romeo and Juliet. I listened patiently, but didn't give any input on the story myself. I didn't want to ruin her view of the story with my negative take on it.

See, I had always hated Romeo and Juliet. It reminded me far too much of my parents. My mom had grown up in town, and my father in the Seam. Just like the ill-fated lovers, they came from two families that should have never intersected. My mother's parents had thought the idea of their daughter marrying a coal miner was despicable. They didn't attend their toasting, and as far as I knew, my mom hadn't spoken to them since.

I remember once, when I was still very little, making my way through town with my parents. I was holding onto my father's hand, and they were laughing with each other over something that I no longer remember, when my Mother had suddenly gone quiet. There was a woman standing, not twenty feet away, on the sidewalk outside of the general store. Her eyes were a pale blue and the same shape as my mother's, but had a sort of hardness about them. She was staring intently at my mom, and then pulled her eyes down to me. There was a flicker of something there, though to this day, I'm not sure what it could have been. The next thing I knew, my father had lifted me into his arms, and we returned home without even getting what we had walked into town for in the first place. My Mother didn't leave their bedroom for the rest of the day.

That next morning, as my father was getting ready to head out beyond the fence to hunt for the day, I stopped him before he could exit the house. I can still remember the way that he looked as he knelt down beside me to see what I wanted. His index finger lifted my chin up so that my eyes met his. He smiled as he saw what I'm sure was a look of deep confusion on my face.

"Daddy," My voice came out much softly. "Is mommy, okay?"

"Mommy's just fine, little bird," He grinned softly at me.

"Who was that lady that upset her?"

His eyes left my face for a moment as he searched his mind for what to say. Even at a young age, I found that relating to my father, and reading his emotions and moods was fairly easy for me. I watched as a shadow of guilt ran over his features. His forehead creased, and I remember running my tiny fingers along the lines to smooth them out, effectively bringing the smile back to his face.

"That was your grandma, sweetie."

"I thought you said grandma was in heaven."

"That's my mother, Katniss. Your mother's parents are still alive and the woman you saw yesterday was her mother."

"But if her mommy's still alive, why have I never met her?"

My father then pulled up a stool to sit in, and placed me in his lap. I turned so that I could see his face as he answered.

"Well, sometimes there are people who don't like things that are different. Your grandma is one of those people. See, mommy and daddy, we grew up with different lives from each other. Mommy grew up in town, where she was supplied with all of the material things that she needed. She had a roof over her head, with a warm bed under it. Her clothes never had holes in them, or were worn thin in spots. She always had food on her table. And I, well… Daddy's family lived here in the Seam. We had a roof over our heads, but there were sometimes holes in it that needed to be patched up. My bed wasn't quite as comfy, my clothes almost always needed mending, and the food that was on our table sometimes wasn't enough. Daddy's house had something that mommy's lacked, though."

I could still remember the look on his face as he peered down at me expectantly. I didn't disappoint him as I asked my next question.

"What was it, Daddy?" In my young mind, I couldn't fathom needing anything more than the things that he had listed my Mother growing up with.

"Love, sweetie," He kissed my cheek as he answered. "Daddy's family had so much love in it that the little things that we were missing didn't seem to matter so much. So when I fell in love with your Mother, your grandma couldn't understand why her daughter would be willing to give up all the comforts of her world to be with a man like me. Grandma doesn't understand love the way that we do."

"Daddy, does our family have that much love?"

"Oh, Katniss," My mother's voice rang out from behind me. She knelt down slowly due to her belly that was telling of Prim's soon to be arrival. She took my hand in one of her own, and my father's in her other. "We have so much love. More than I could have ever hoped for."

And we did, which made it that much harder when my father was killed. It had only taken an instant for the light his love had put into my mother's eyes to go out. She hadn't been the same since. After that day, I couldn't help but see love as being something that would only lead to a more intense form of pain.

* * *

><p>The walk to school the next morning felt awkward with Gale on one side of me, and Prim on the other. She and Rory were the only ones talking, though I could tell that Gale had something on his mind. I also had an idea of what that something might have been. I was more at ease as we separated for our first period classes and started the day. I had even debated on whether or not to skip lunch, but realized I couldn't avoid him forever. Besides, I told myself, I needed to stop being so self-centered. Surely he had something on his mind other than me.<p>

I successfully avoided Peeta's eyes throughout our history class. Luckily, the lesson for that day was more in depth than usual, which meant I had to pay closer attention. It made keeping my mind off of him much easier.

When I arrived outside during lunch, I couldn't help but notice that Prim and Rory seated by themselves. I was getting ready to head over and take my normal seat beside them when a strong hand was laid on my shoulder. I turned to see Gale standing beside me, and let out a sigh of relief when he offered me a smile.

"Come on," He jerked his head, indicating an empty table. The heat of his hand soaked through my shirt as he led me to our seats. I watched him out of the corner of my eye, and looked away quickly as soon as his eyes caught mine.

"So…." I trailed off as I sat down and looked over to where Prim and Rory were talking quietly. "Any reason that we're sitting here today?"

"Oh, I promised Rory that I would let him have some alone time with Prim."

"What?" I hissed, leaning across the table toward him. "They're twelve, Gale. Why would they possibly need time alone?"

He did something then that I had hardly ever seen Gale do while we were at school. Hell, he hardly did it in general. He laughed. He laughed, and instead of it bringing me joy like it normally would if we had been, say hunting, or even trading at the Hob, it made me angry. I sat back, not meeting his gaze.

"I don't see what's funny about this."

"So Rory likes your little sister," He started, running a hand through his hair as he leaned toward me. The hand that still lay on the table was dangerously close to mine, so I crossed my arms over my chest and continued glaring. "It's not like we both didn't know this was going to happen, Catnip. Rory's been head over heels for Prim since they first met. He told me just last night that NOT liking her just wasn't an option for him."

I still refused to meet Gale's eyes as I replied. "Yeah, well you know how I feel about things like this."

He didn't respond immediately, so I continued to look around the courtyard. Anywhere but at him, really. To my left, the tables occupied by girls from town were busy whispering about and pointing at Gale. Giggles were escaping from all of their mouths as the one nearest met my gaze. Within seconds, the entire table had fallen silent, and my mood had worsened.

Tearing my eyes away from them, I landed on Prim and Rory's table next. I felt my cheeks burn as I suspected I was witnessing what was meant to be a private moment between the two. Prim's smile was taking up most of her face, as Rory's hand grasped hers.

Desperate to rest my eyes somewhere that wasn't Gale's face, I stared over his right shoulder. My eyes almost immediately locked on to the same pair that I'd caught staring at me the day before during that same time. Since we had actually managed to exchange words since then, he offered me a small smile, and lifted his hand in a wave. I lifted my hand in return, and looked away quickly.

Gale noticed however, and shifted to see who I had acknowledged. He turned his head back to face me, his lips pressed together in a harsh line. He leaned forward on his elbows before he started to speak.

"So, you and Mellark looked pretty cozy yesterday."

I swallowed hard, and looked him in the eye. His expression was a mix of anger, hurt, jealously, and what seemed like genuine curiosity.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

He scoffed, and sat up straighter. "Yeah, I'm sure. He had his hands all over you, Katniss!"

I couldn't believe the accusatory tone he had taken with me. I leaned forward, elbows on the table, and practically hissed back at him.

"Yes, Gale, because placing his hands on my arms to keep me from falling on my face is equivalent to him 'having his hands all over me'." I used my fingers to make the quotation marks.

"I'm only telling you what it looked like." He ran his hand through his hair in an aggravated manner, and I could practically hear the girls from the table next to us sighing. A look that I could only explain as a sneer crossed his face. "Listen, I just…I know that guys like Mellark are like. I know what town guys think about girls from the Seam, and I just want you to keep in mind that his intentions might not be so noble."

I was quickly becoming livid.

"You think that I don't know what they think, Gale?_ Really?_" My voice was starting to gather volume quickly, but I wasn't thinking clearly enough to care.

"I just don't want people to get the wrong idea."

"It sounds like the only one with the wrong idea here is you."

That was the second day in a row that I found myself leaving lunch early. I ignored the strange looks that were cast my way, as I made my way back inside the school. I hadn't even had time to un-bag my lunch while I had been outside, so I just pressed my back against the nearest locker, and slid down to the floor. I had just taken the first bite of my sandwich, when the door I had just burst through opened.

Assuming it was Gale, coming to apologize, I didn't even bother to look up.

"I don't want to talk to you," I spoke harshly, my mouth still half full.

"Well, that's not a very nice thing to say," A voice that did not belong to Gale's said from above me.

"Oh, God," I muttered, and started to stand. He squatted down beside me, motioning for me to stay where I was. "Sorry. I thought you were someone else."

"Yeah," He chuckled lightly. "I figured that much. I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Uh, yeah," I choked out as I watched him settle and lean against the locker beside me. "I'm fine."

"Good. You just, well… You seemed pretty upset out there. I don't think I've ever heard you yell before." To my surprise, he pulled out the bag containing his lunch, and started to eat. He slowly nibbled at the corner of a roll as if it was a normal occurrence for us; eating lunch together on the floor of an empty hallway.

"I guess I don't very often," I spoke quietly, taking great interest in my meal. It bothered me how much I wanted to talk to Peeta about what happened. It bothered me even more that I didn't understand why I wanted to. "I guess Gale's just being kind of a jerk."

If I hadn't spent years in the woods as a hunter, I would have never picked up on the way that Peeta's stiffened slightly. I heard him exhale slowly, and looked over at him. His features were lightly pinched. He turned his head to face me, and as I watched, his face softened back into its usual appearance.

"You want to talk about it?" He offered.

"Not really," I faced forward again. "I think he's just a little… protective of me. I guess? I don't know…."

"Well, that's understandable."

"Why?" I looked at him in disbelief. Surely he had no idea what Gale had said about his, er, intentions toward me. I watched as his cheeks were stained a light shade of pink, and he ran a hand through his blonde hair. The muscles of his back caught my attention as the fabric of his t-shirt stretched across them. I tore my eyes away, and shook my head slightly. What was wrong with me?

"I mean, I'm not dating you, but if I were…" Peeta was making a point not to look at me. "Well, if I had a girlfriend, I would be pretty protective of her, too."

It took me a second to realize what he was insinuating, but once I did, I started to choke on the sip of water I had just taken out of my thermos. I continued to sputter as Peeta put his food on top of the paper sack he had been carrying his lunch in. He started to lean toward me. When I caught on to the fact that he was about to 'come to my rescue' so to speak, I put my hands out in front of me. They landed on his shoulders, bringing him to a stop before he could move closer. My eyes were watering, and I felt like a fool by the time I finally blurted out my reply.

"Gale and I are not dating." I looked him dead in the eye, and coughed to try and clear my throat more. "He's _not_ my boyfriend. I… I don't date."

"Oh. Sorry, I just thought…" He looked embarrassed. He looked down, smiled to himself, and then looked back up at me. "Sorry. I guess I just assumed. Katniss, are you okay?"

I hadn't been aware of the fact that I was still coughing until he'd said that. I nodded my head.

"Yeah, water just went down the wrong way."

He nodded, and we sat in silence for the next few minutes. I was still trying to regain my composure. The silence was odd, but not entirely uncomfortable. After we had both finished our lunches, Peeta stood and extended his hand to help me up. I stared at it blankly.

"I thought we might as well get a head start to gym," He shrugged. I returned the shrug, and took hold of the hand he was offering. We each deposited the trash from our meals into a nearby garbage can, and began to walk in silence. Something was bothering me, though. I pulled my hand up, and placed it on Peeta's forearm once we reached the door to the gymnasium. What was with all the unnecessary touching that this boy was eliciting from me?

"I have a question," I started, breathing in deep. "You said you assumed that Gale and I were dating."

He nodded, a confused crease formed between his brows.

"I guess I just want to know why you assumed that."

"Oh. Well, I mean I never see you with anyone else, Katniss. He walks you and your sister to school every morning, you sit with him at lunch, and then he walks you guys back home at the end of the day. Honestly, Katniss, I think that everyone kind of assumes that you two are together," He gave me a sheepish smile, as he rubbed the back of his neck. "And then there's the way that he looks at you. It's pretty obvious that he cares about you."

"Well, that doesn't make me uncomfortable at all. Wait… What? How does he look at me?"

I was genuinely curious. I knew that Gale cared about me. I cared about him, too. He was, after all, my best friend. The bell rang then and people started making their way through the gym door. I froze in place as Gale entered, his eyes immediately finding Peeta and I standing together, my hand still on his arm. I jerked my hand away, and let out a sigh of relief as Madge saw me, and waved me over. I glanced back over at Peeta, who had a smirk on his face.

"You have no idea the effect you can have, do you?"

**Author's Note: **I've had several people ask for longer chapters, so that's what I tried to do with this one! Also, I'm throwing around the idea of putting the games into this story later on, but obviously not with Katniss and Peeta competing. Any opinions on this?


	5. Chapter 5

Gym class passed quickly that day, much like it had the day before. Most of the dances that we practiced were ones that we had all known since we were younger, and the hour passed without incident. Well, nothing other than a few instances of hands touching for maybe just a few seconds longer than necessary. I couldn't even be sure of that, however. It seemed Gale's tirade had made me a tad paranoid.

By the end of the period, I could practically feel the slow burn of Gale's glower igniting the hair on the back of my head. Before we exited the gym, Madge and I made plans for me to come over later that afternoon. We both had biology for second period, and there was a test the following morning. We said our goodbyes, and went our separate ways at the door. To my astonishment, Peeta was leaning on a locker across the hallway, and motioned for me to join him.

"I'll make you a deal," He started as I stood beside him. I raised an eyebrow, and he continued in almost a whisper. "Hear me out before you say anything. I'll walk you to class, if you'll walk me home after school."

"Uh, what exactly is the point of that?" I cringed inwardly at how crass I came across.

"Well, you obviously don't want to talk to him," He jerked his head almost imperceptibly to Gale, who was watching us from across the hall. He didn't look happy, and Peeta was right. I certainly was not ready to have any sort of confrontation with him. Once was enough for us to get into it in public that day. "And I, well… I don't want to deal with Elyse again today."

"Again?" I asked, and started to walk, hoping that Peeta would understand my silent form of agreement. Thankfully, he did.

"You aren't going to believe this, but she followed me home yesterday. Seriously. She would not stop talking. Of course, I don't think I actually heard a word she said, but it was just… unnerving."

I couldn't help but grin at the shudder that he gave.

"So, yeah… If you keep your promise to protect me from Elyse, I'll do my part to protect you from Gale."

I nodded, glancing back over my shoulder to the spot that Gale had been standing in. The spot was empty now, but I caught sight of him glancing over his own shoulder at me as he turned down a different hallway. As soon as he had disappeared from my vision, I stopped walking and turned to Peeta.

"Sure, but only because I told Madge I would go to her place after school today. So yeah, since it's on the way."

Peeta smiled, and nodded. We continued our walk in a comfortable silence, and as we reached our classroom, he held the door open for me. I don't know why it affected me the way that it did, but I felt a tightening in my stomach as I glanced up at him. I whispered my thanks, and moved into the room to take my usual seat.

On most days, I was blissfully unaware of the fact that Elyse Marten was also in that class. On that day, I didn't find myself quite as lucky. She, uncharacteristically, sat down in the seat to my left. Not only did she sit beside me, but she tried her best to also grab my attention throughout the period. I successfully managed to avoid her until the end of the day. I was already standing, bending down to pick my backpack off the ground, when she stood in front of me.

"Look, Katniss," Her syrupy sweet voice turned nasty as she leaned in close to me. "I don't know what you're trying to do here, but I just wanted to let you know… It won't work."

I pulled my braid out from under the strap of my backpack, and tossed it over my shoulder. I stood up straight, and looked down into her eyes that were a few inches lower than my own. Did she really think she could scare me? What was she even talking about?

"You're going to have to fill me, Elyse. What is it that you think I'm trying to do exactly?"

"Oh, don't play dumb with me, you little Seam brat," Her voice had dropped to a harsh whisper.

I felt a hot flash start to work its way up from my neck. My right hand, previously laid flat across the top of my desk, was now clutching at the corner tightly. I was only fractions of a second away from letting my anger get the best of me, when a weight closed over the top of the same hand that had a death grip on the desk. I turned to find Peeta smiling at me, appearing oblivious as to what was going on.

"You ready, Katniss?" He looked at me, blatantly ignoring the fact that Elyse was standing less than a foot away. I was convinced that he could tell that I was still only seconds away from ripping my hand from under his and slapping her across the face with it. I thought that maybe he could even tell that I wasn't even considering the consequences said slap would have brought.

So when he grabbed my hand in his, and started to pull me toward the door, I didn't argue. I followed him down the hallway quickly, and after a few seconds, began to breathe normally again. Peeta had an amused look on his face that might have made me laugh in a different situation.

I started to feel embarrassed about having lost my composure in front of him so many times in only one day. This was not the norm for me, and I hope that he knew that.

"How did you know that I was about to smack the life out of her?" I said the first thing that I could think of to break up the silence.

"You already had your hand curled up into a fist by the time I got over there," He laughed. "I couldn't let you get into trouble over someone as stupid as her."

"Thanks," I replied. "It seems like you're not the only one who needs to be protected from Elyse."

He smiled, and I found myself unable to look away. I wondered how he could do that so freely. Yes, he was from town, but still… life in District 12 was hard on everyone, really. I couldn't help but wonder what made it seem so different to him. I almost tripped over my own feet when I felt his fingers lace themselves through mine. I looked over at him, confused, and stopped walking.

"_She's still behind us,"_ He whispered, a mischievous glint in his eyes. _"Can't risk you hauling off and slapping her, now can we?" _

I actually laughed then, surprising myself and Peeta as well. He squeezed my hand a little tighter, and laughed also. Elyse then stomped by, hitting Peeta's shoulder with her own as she passed. This only caused me to laugh more, and I pulled my hand out of his to cover my reddening face.

We waited until she had stormed through the exit doors, letting them slam behind her, before we dared to move. My fingers twitched a little at my side as I realized that just a moment ago, I had held hands with a boy for the first time in my life. I swallowed the lump that had quickly formed in my throat.

"Since Elyse is gone… You, you really don't have to walk me to Madge's," I began. A flash of disappointment crossed Peeta's face, so I continued. "I mean, I'll still keep up my end of the deal, and protect you from her when you need it, of course. I just need to tell Prim where I'm going to be, and well… Gale will most likely be waiting there with her, and even if he was a jerk earlier, he's my best friend. I just need to get the conversation over with."

"Of course," He replied with a small smile. "Not a problem at all. Maybe another day?"

I nodded my head. We walked together to the end of the hallway then turned the corner where I could see Prim, Rory, and Gale waiting at the opposite end. I turned to Peeta and smiled.

"See you tomorrow, Peeta."

* * *

><p>After I told Prim that I would be going over to Madge's, she took Rory's hand in her own, and immediately started on her walk home. As I stepped into the sunlight outside, I grabbed hold of Gale's elbow to bring him to a stop. He turned slowly on the heel of his boot, squaring his shoulders as he faced me. His features displayed as little emotion as he could muster, and I momentarily had no idea what I should say.<p>

Gale had never been overly talkative. The term 'strong, silent type' was a pretty good description of his usual demeanor. Still unable to find the right words, I kicked the side of his boot instead.

"Hey," I offered, simply. I raised an eyebrow as a silent inquiry as to whether or not he had decided to speak to me yet. Fortunately, with that one word his stance changed. His shoulders dropped back down to their regular state, and his features softened noticeably.

"Hey."

"Look, I'm sor—"

"Catnip, I'm sor—"

We both started to apologize at the same time, and I chuckled softly. I crossed my arms over my chest and cocked my head to one side.

"You first," I told him. Gale rolled his eyes.

"Fine," He relented. "I'm sorry I was such a jerk earlier."

"And I'm sorry that I got as mad as I did."

"But not that you got mad?"

"Gale, you just admitted yourself that you were being a jerk."

My voice was on the verge of being raised once again, so I stepped toward him and playfully slapped him on the arm to downplay my reaction. I really didn't expect him to continue speaking, so I pulled the straps of my backpack tighter, and told him that I needed to get to Madge's.

"Wait," He placed a hand on my shoulder. "I'll walk with you."

"Gale, it's fine," I assured him. "Besides, you hate going into town."

He did. He absolutely hated it, but he just shrugged, and started walking with me anyway.

"Look, I meant it when I said I was sorry, but I guess I just wanted you to see things the way that I do."

I glanced at him from the corner of my eye, but didn't reply. I was curious to see where he was going to go with this.

"It's just… I've got classes with Mellark's older brother, Julian, and a lot of the other guys from town. I know what they're like… I hear the crap they say about girls from the Seam." When I don't seem very impressed with the intelligence he's just presented, his voice trails off, almost into a whisper. "I've heard the stuff that they say about you, even."

"What are you talking about?"_ I_ spun on my heel and faced him. It was pretty common knowledge what town guys thought about Seam girls. I couldn't deny that I'd overheard them in the hallways myself. Sometimes what they said was true, and sometimes it wasn't. It had never affected me, so I didn't let any of it bother me before. Hearing that my name would even come up in any of their 'conversations' was a reasonable shock.

"In the guys' locker room after gym. On days when we actually have to change out… You don't want to hear it, trust me," He refused to meet my eyes as he spoke. "I mean, I surprised that Peeta even has the guts to talk to you after what happened with that prick, Everett, a couple of months ago."

I tried to remember anything of significance that had occurred within the past few months with the Everett kid he mentioned. I truthfully never paid much attention to the guy. He was in my grade, but the son of the local florist, meaning we didn't exactly run in the same circles. We had a few classes together, though. I was almost ready to ask Gale what he meant when I recalled a few days that Everett had been absent about two months back. When he'd returned to school, he still sported a pretty nasty black eye, and walked in a way that showed he was also pretty sore from whatever had happened.

"You didn't!" I gasped. "What were you thinking, you idiot!"

"Wait! Don't get mad at me again over this, Catnip," His eyes were pleading with me. "First of all, it's over and there's nothing that can be done about it. Second, I'd do it again in a heartbeat. He was just being such an ass."

I pressed my mouth into a harsh line and exhaled slowly from my nose. We walked for another couple of minutes in silence before I spoke.

"Okay. Number one. That was stupid, Gale. Stupid. Do you even care about how much trouble you could have caused yourself? You can't just beat up every guy from town just because he says something about me. I'm past caring what other people think of me; especially if those thoughts aren't even true. Number two," I held up two fingers, and glared at him to make sure he was actually paying attention. "What does any of this have to do with Peeta? Have you ever heard HIM make any inappropriate comments?"

I was going out on a limb there. I didn't know Peeta well enough to know whether or not he was the kind of guy who made those comments. I could only go on my gut feeling, though, and it was telling me that he was, all-around, a pretty good guy. I could tell by the defeated look on Gale's face that I was right.

"No, but—"

"But what?" I took a deep breath, and grabbed his bicep with my hand. He turned to look at me, and once I had his full attention I continued. "Peeta's a nice guy, Gale. If you lump him into the same category as all of the other guys from town, then you're doing the same thing that they are with the girls from the Seam."

We had reached the outskirts of town by then, and I noticed several girls on their way home staring at us. As usual, I ignored them and continued to walk toward Madge's house. We were at the end of her block when Gale started to talk again.

"Again, I'm sorry," He stopped walking. "It's just that you're my… You're my best friend. I guess I can be a little… protective of you."

I tried my best to push away thoughts of Peeta saying something eerily similar only hours before.

"That's nice, Gale, and I appreciate it. I really do," I said, still noticing the girls who were oogling him. "If you want to protect me from things like that, though, that means I'll have to have a stare-down with every merchant girl who fawns over you. I just don't have that much time in the day."

I laughed as I nodded my head to the three girls that had basically been following us. Gale came as close to blushing as I'd ever seen, but the look faded quickly. He nodded his head, much like I had a second before, in the direction that lay over my shoulder.

I had neglected to realize that we were directly across the street from Mellark's Bakery. Peeta had obviously gotten there a few moments before, and was currently standing on the sidewalk with a 50 lbs. bag of flour hoisted up onto one shoulder. His father was a few feet away, holding the door open for his youngest son with a fond expression on his face.

I had always found Mr. Mellark to be a kind man. He was a very loyal customer of ours when we came around to sell the game we managed to collect during our time hunting. He often made trades that were much more in our favor than his own, but always insisted on them when I argued he was offering too much.

Peeta's eyes met my own, and a lopsided grin appeared on his face. He adjusted the bag of flour more securely onto his shoulder, and brought his opposite hand up into a wave. I returned the wave and watched as he disappeared through the bakery's front door.

I cautiously turned my eyes back to Gale to check his reaction. It had been almost the exact same scenario that had triggered his ill-tempered outcry earlier. While he didn't fling any insults, or make any accusations this time, I could still tell by his posture that he wasn't 100% okay with Peeta Mellark and I being friends.

Friends. I couldn't help but think to myself how easily the idea of Peeta and I being friends slipped into my thoughts. I was truly surprised with my apparent instant acceptance of him in this role. It was amazing how hard it was to not like him, though.

"You're going to have to get over it, Gale," I said in what I hoped came off as a light, joking tone before taking off for Madge's house.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong> I just wanted to thank everyone for the reviews/alerts/etc.! They are greatly appreciated, and definitely encouraging. Feel free to follow me on Tumblr & Twitter! **.com/ **& Twitter - LAOuimet.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: **I just wanted to take a second to say how grateful I am for all the reviews and story alerts that I've gotten for this story. They are all much appreciated, and really encouraging! :)

* * *

><p>The next few days at school passed mostly without incident. Things between Gale and I were almost the same as they had been before. He and Rory walked Prim and I to school each morning, we ate lunch together, and then they walked us home in the afternoons. If he seemed a little moody over the fact that Peeta and I would share a wave here and there, or because he walked with me to English after gym, neither of us mentioned it.<p>

Friday afternoon rolled around, and Peeta walked me from our English class to the end of the hallway where I always met Prim, Rory, and Gale. Elyse had been out sick that day, so there was no reason for us to hold hands the way that we had several days ago. Peeta always walked with his arm close to mine, though, and the backs of our hands would sometimes brush together. Whenever it occurred, I was unable to help the way that my stomach seemed to clench, almost in anticipation.

I had thought a lot during those few days about the way that those instances made me feel. I wasn't sure of how to act when they came about. I had always been so used to being in control of my actions and reactions, but something about Peeta Mellark seemed to make that fly out the window. My stomach got that tight, funny feeling in it a lot when he was around, and a lot of the time it felt like there wasn't enough air in whatever room we were in. Hell, it sometimes felt like there wasn't enough air in the world.

We stopped at the end of the hallway to say our goodbyes when he took my hand into his. It was just a loose hold, and his fingers did not intertwine with mine, but I was caught off guard all the same. I looked up at him, conflicted. I told myself that I should not have liked that feeling as much I did.

"You should stop by the bakery sometimes this weekend, Katniss." He squeezed my hand lightly.

"Oh, well I'm sure that I'll be by sometime in the morning," I sputtered. I felt that clenching in my stomach again, and was trying hard to fight it. "Gale and I, we always hunt on Saturdays, and I know how much your dad likes the squirrels we bring by. I'll be sure to try to get some tomorrow."

"Well, yeah…. But that's not what I meant," Peeta smiled softly. "I'll be working in the morning, so I'll see you then, but I was saying that maybe you should come by later, or Sunday. I don't know; we could hang out, or something."

"I don't really just hang out."

There was a pregnant pause in the conversation that gave me time to think about what a jerk that sentence had made me sound like. God, why did Peeta even bother to talk to me in the first place? Before had he a chance to say anything else, I continued to speak.

"Sorry, I mean… That doesn't mean that I can't. I just normally don't. I don't have a lot of time for things like that."

Peeta's eyes softened as he squeezed my hand once more before letting go.

"Well, if you find yourself with some time on your hands then."

When I turned back to face the group waiting for me at the end of the hallway, it was hard to ignore the stormy look that had overtaken Gale's face. On the walk home, the only word he had spoken to me was a gruff 'bye' as he and Rory had veered off into their yard.

* * *

><p>I woke that Saturday morning earlier than I did for school on the weekdays. Truthfully, weekends in the woods were some of my favorite times. Even though I knew that there was no real difference in life outside of the fence as opposed to inside it, everything just felt lighter. I felt as free as was possible, regardless of the fact that what we were doing was highly illegal.<p>

I slipped under the fence that morning expecting a Saturday like any other. Yes, I was aware that Gale was probably not very happy with me considering the way he had acted the afternoon before. I figured he would be okay, though. Like he had said, he was my best friend, and just looking out for what he thought were my best interests. I couldn't really fault him for that.

If only I had known what I was walking into that day.

That morning in the woods had started off fairly normal. Gale was waiting for me at the rock where we usually met. We combined food to partake in a shared breakfast that was also common for the two of us.

Looking back at it now, it was almost as if Gale had tried his hardest to make everything as normal as possible. I suppose I could have taken it as a sign that no matter what happened, he would be a constant in my life. He would be there when I needed him, for what I needed him for. He was attempting to show me that he was what I needed, I guess.

So our hunt that day was normal. We checked his snare lines, and came up with a couple of rabbits, and a decent sized wild turkey. Once we moved farther into the woods, I was able to bag a couple of plump squirrels, making me happy that I would be able to keep my word to Peeta. We even managed to make our way out to the strawberry patch in order to gather some for Madge's father.

It wasn't until we were on our way back to the fence that it happened.

One minute we were joking around with each other, and the next Gale was making comments about essentially running away together. I don't think that he even noticed that I was no longer speaking as he went on about how easy it would be for us to make it on our own.

I stood there, staring at my feet, still silent as a stone. He had mentioned things like before, of course, but for some reason I knew that it was different this time. Before, I had written things he had said off as nothing but a willingness to leave the poverty of the Seam, of District 12. I had believed he'd only included me in those fantasies so I wouldn't feel left out, or left behind. The way that he spoke that day though, it let me know that it was important that I agree with him. It was important to him that I shared the sentiment. I was in such a daze that I was unaware he had moved closer to me until the toes of his boots stepped into my line of sight, only inches away from my own.

"Katniss," He lowered his voice as he moved even closer. "Look at me. Please."

I backed up a step. I couldn't remember how to breathe. Before I knew it, Gale's body was pressed against my own, and my back came into contact with the tree behind me. The force with which my back hit the tree momentarily stunned me, and a fraction of a second later, his lips were on mine. I felt pressure on the right side of my face and left hip, and realized that Gale's hands were taking up those locations. I didn't respond to the kiss, and it only took a few seconds for me to jerk my head back, the tree bark pulling a good portion of my hair loose from its braid.

As quickly as it had appeared, the warmth and hardness of Gale's body left my own. As I watched him take several quick steps back, my senses were left swimming in a mixture of pine and suede; a smell that was undeniably his. My stomached clenched, but not in the good way. It was in a way that told me things between my best friend and I would probably never be the same again.

I'm not sure what result Gale had expected from his actions, but I'm sure what I did next wasn't on the list. I slowly picked up the game bag that had fallen to the side, and tossed it to him while keeping my head down. I waited until I was sure he had it in his hands, and picked a focal point far from his face.

"You should go now," My voice shook, and I was terrified that I was actually going to cry in front of him. When I was sure he had gone, I let out a shaky breath and slid down the trunk of the tree to the forest floor.

I can't be sure of how long I just sat there, staring out at nothing. The tears never came, but I knew that they were still hovering near the breaking point. Once I got over the initial shock of what had happened, I moved on to being angry.

I had never taken the time to think about what my first kiss might be like. It really wasn't something that I could imagine even happening given that, until earlier that week, I had avoided 'boy trouble' all together. It made me feel immensely girly to admit it, even to myself, but I knew that wasn't what it was supposed to be like.

I had pulled myself off the ground and walked half way into town before I even realized I was on my way to Madge's house. I was obviously unequipped to deal with what had happened on my own, and she was the first person that I thought of that I could talk to. I had already reached the end of her street before I realized the flaw in my plan. This was Madge. I couldn't talk to her about the guy that she had a crush on having kissed me. I might not have had the best female intuition, but even I realized the awkwardness that situation would bring. I knew that she wouldn't hold it against me in any way, but it didn't matter.

I had already changed direction, ready to make my way back to the Seam, when I heard my name being called by a familiar voice. I turned on instinct, and watched as Peeta crossed the street to meet me.

"Katniss, hey!" He smiled as he got closer. "I was hoping that I'd see you sometime today. When you didn't come by earlier…."

He trailed off as he got closer, and a look of concern wiped the smile off his face.

"Are you okay?"

I blinked a couple of times, and tried my best to smile.

"Yeah. I'm fine, Peeta," My voice was shaking dangerously, much like it had when I told Gale to leave earlier. I brought a hand up to my face to push my hair behind my ear. This caused Peeta to gasp. He grabbed my wrist, and started to pull me across the street toward his family's bakery. I followed mindlessly until we were only a few feet from the steps leading up to the side entrance.

"Really. Peeta," My voice still shook. "I'm fine."

He continued to lead me up the steps. I was about to protest again when he turned back to face me.

"Katniss, you're bleeding." He looked down at the hand below the wrist he was holding. The angry scratches from the tree trunk were indeed bleeding. Because I had been clenching my fists on my walk into town, my fingers appeared bloody as well. "Come on. Let me help you get cleaned up."

"I'm not so sure that's a good idea," I started, but the look he gave me proved to be effective in shutting me up.

"My mom's not home and my brothers are gone for the day. It's just us. Well, us and my dad, but he's still working downstairs. Now come on."

I wasn't sure how he knew that his mother was my main source of discomfort when it came to entering his home. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I thought of the bread he had given me years ago and wondered if he was thinking about it as well. As I pondered that notion, Peeta lead me through the side entrance of his home. We walked through the kitchen, living room, and then down a narrow hallway, finally leading me into a bathroom.

We didn't speak as he held my hand under cool, running water in order to rinse out the wounds. He closed the lid to the toilet, and motioned for me to sit down while he rifled through the contents of the medicine cabinet. He then knelt in front me, and I winced slightly as he dabbed at the scratches with an antiseptic cream. I watched as the space between his eyebrows became creased while he lightly wrapped some gauze around my hand. The gauze was probably overkill since I knew the scratches weren't very deep, and likely wouldn't bleed anymore, but I didn't say anything.

"Alright, there you go," Peeta announced, getting to his feet. "I know your mom's work is probably much better than this, but I'm sure it'll hold you until you can get home."

I nodded, wondering how he even knew that my mother was a healer in the first place, but I didn't mention it. I took my non-bandaged hand, and tried to push my destroyed braid back over my shoulder. He took my wrist once again, his grip light but firm, and lead me out of the bathroom to a room at the end of the hallway. I found myself in what I assumed was Peeta's bedroom, and he pulled out his desk chair to sit in while indicating that I could sit on the bed. Once I was seated, he pulled the chair closer, and leaned forward.

"Katniss, if you don't mind me asking… What happened?"

I inhaled deeply, and it only took me a second before I tried to speak.

"Gale ..."

Once I had started, it all seemed so stupid to me. This was not something that a normal girl would have gotten so upset about. Would Peeta think I was being silly for getting so shaken up over this?

I brought my eyes up to meet his, and was startled to find that Peeta's calm demeanor seemed to have been shaken. He leaned forward even farther, and before I had time to think, his hands had been brought up to rest on my shoulders. His touch was not forceful, but actually very comforting.

"He didn't… He didn't hurt you, did he, Katniss?" His voice was hard.

"N-No…. No. Well, not_ really_. Not on purpose, I guess."

One hand trailed down my arm; the action probably not as slow as it seemed in my mind. The path left behind became covered in goose bumps that I didn't even have the sense to be embarrassed by. He reached my injured hand, and flipped it over to lay, palm up, in his own.

"You can tell me what happened, you know," His face was just so open that I couldn't help but believe him. "I'm a pretty good listener."

"I don't even know where to start."

"The beginning's usually a pretty good place."

So that's where I started. Not from when I had first arrived at our rock that morning, but from the first time I had met Gale. I told Peeta about receiving the medals in honor of our fathers, about the first few times I had seen in the woods. I had thought that by leading up to that morning, it would give me time to calm down about what had happened. As I started my retelling of the day's events, I nervously unbraided my hair and started to separate the tangles, just to have something to do with my hands. When I was finished, I just sat there, unsure of what to do with myself.

I couldn't believe I had just told Peeta as much as I had. My eyes were still filled with irrational tears that were getting harder to hold back.

"It's stupid; I know," I whispered when Peeta didn't say anything.

He stood up from his chair then, and moved to sit next to me on the bed. His right arm wrapped itself around my shoulders, and he pulled me flush to his side. If I hadn't already made a fool of myself, I'm sure I would have blushed then.

"It's not stupid," He assured me. I could feel him inhale deeply before he went on. "It's not stupid at all, Katniss. You can be upset all you want. Hell, even I'm upset by it."

"Why are you upset?" I turned to face him and tried not to concentrate on how close we were at that moment.

"Because I,… Because you're my friend, Katniss. Because you're my friend, and he hurt you. Even if he didn't mean to, and even if… _Damn it_. He just, he shouldn't have taken that from you."

I was confused.

"What do you mean?"

Peeta suddenly seemed embarrassed, but answered me anyway. He still had his arm wrapped around my shoulders.

"Your first kiss."

"Oh," I gulped. "I mean, it's not really that big of a deal, I guess. I'm not like other girls in that way."

"In what way?"

"In the way that it wasn't something that I spent time fantasizing over. I mean, I know it's supposed to be an important thing, event, or whatever, in your life. I've never really thought like that before, though." I had to stop because my throat had started to feel like it was burning, and my eyes were welling up with tears. I looked down, letting my hair form a curtain between the two of us, and wished that I could just disappear.

Peeta used the hand that wasn't clutching my shoulder to pull my hair back from between us, and leaned his face in closer to mine. He then brushed away a tear that had managed to escape down my cheek with his thumb.

"Just because it's not something that you really thought about doesn't mean it should have happened like that."

I let out a soft laugh.

"You mean I wasn't _supposed_ to be pushed up against a tree, leaving me with scraped hands and messed up hair? I wasn't _supposed_ to stand there, non-responsive. I wasn't _supposed_ to cry afterward? You mean it wasn't supposed to be like that?"

"_No,"_ Peeta stated, almost forcefully. "It most definitely was _not_ supposed to be like that."

I hadn't realized how close we were until that moment. The outsides of our thighs were touching, and I could feel the heat from his torso through my clothes where we were flush against each other's sides. That tightening in my stomach from earlier in the week had returned, and I felt like my entire body could float away at any second. Peeta's face had inched even closer to my own, and I couldn't tear my eyes away when the tip of his tongue darted out to unconsciously wet his lips. It was as if I no longer had control of my actions as my head turned to face him even more. I felt Peeta's hand lightly travel from the spot it had been gripping my shoulder to rest on the side of my neck. Shivering slightly, I found myself leaning forward while he did the same. I could feel his warm breath falling gently across my lips, and started to close my eyes when I saw his blue ones begin to the do the same.

"**PEETA!" **

Three heavy knocks that landed on the outside of his door caused us both to jump up from the bed. I couldn't seem to get my breathing under control.

"**Peeta! Dad needs you downstairs!"**

A series of loud footsteps followed the voice, accompanied seconds later with the sound of a door slamming.

"That was Julian," Peeta's voice came out as ragged as my breathing. I didn't take the time to the look at him, but I would almost bet money that his face was as red as mine felt.

"Yeah, I have to go," I made my way to his bedroom door, and was out the door and down the steps before I knew it. I barely heard Peeta calling my name as I practically ran down the street outside. The sound of my heartbeat pounding in my ears was far too loud.

* * *

><p>I spent the next day at home, helping my mother and Prim with household chores. When Prim inquired as to why I hadn't gone hunting that morning, I shrugged, and complained of a headache. When my Mother insisted that we could go into town to restock her supply of remedies for that exact affliction, I hurriedly told her that it wasn't necessary. She wouldn't let it go until I reminded her, somewhat harshly, that what little we had to trade with should be used sparingly.<p>

That Monday, when the time to get ready for school came, I complained of another headache, and promptly pulled the covers back over my head.


	7. Chapter 7

I waited for Prim to leave for school, and until my mother had left for a housecall before leaving my bedroom. I pulled my comforter around my shoulders, and walked into the living room. After turning off the television that my mother had probably left on, I unceremoniously fell onto the couch and stared up at the ceiling. While my head didn't actually ache, it was completely jumbled to the point that I couldn't make sense of any of the thoughts inside it.

In an attempt to clear my mind, I decided to try my best to tackle one thought at a time. I realized that was going to be nearly impossible, but what else was I supposed to do? I couldn't talk to Madge because of her feelings toward Gale. Talking to Peeta about Gale had just lead to another dilemma that I needed someone to talk to about. Prim was only twelve. Regardless of the fact that she was probably my closest confidant, talking to my twelve year old sister about my love life was out of the question. Ugh. Since when had I even had a love life to talk about? I wasn't even sure if that was truly the case then. I supposed that most girls would speak to their mothers, but I knew that option was also off the table.

So I tried to break the facts down; one by one.

Number one: Gale had kissed me.

How had it made me feel? I was shocked, initially. The shock had been almost immediately followed by anger, but why? Sure, I was angry because Gale knew how I felt about relationships, as well as where they ultimately lead, but that couldn't have been all.

I had noticed the looks he had been giving me from the corner of my eye for years now. At first, I really was too naïve to realize what they meant. There were thoughts of something being on my face, or maybe the idea that he was just in a daze, concentrating too hard on his thoughts to notice that he had been staring at me the entire time. Eventually, I understood that he _had_ been concentrating hard on his thoughts, but they had been about me all along. I never acknowledged this out loud, nor did I allow myself to think too deeply about it. I had made up my mind a long time ago when it came to that sort of thing.

I knew what other people expected from the two of us. In everyone else's eyes, Gale and I were the endgame. We would be the best friends, turned lovers that eventually turned husband and wife. We would have a couple of kids, and live out the rest of our days happily in the Seam.

If I was being 100% honest with myself, though I rarely was, if things had been different, I could have seen all of that happening. If my father hadn't died, and if I hadn't been so jaded to the very idea of love; that was a future that I wouldn't have been so opposed to. Gale was a good guy, great even. He was kind, loyal, hardworking, and obviously cared about me. I would have to be blind not to notice how handsome he had grown to be. In fact, if Gale had been considered attractive when we first met (which I could assure you he had been), he had only become more attractive with time.

I could see that version of my future with Gale, but only if I edited the past. In that future, Gale and I would have had to choose each other. In our reality, I knew that we had only been thrust together out of necessity. There had been no choice.

If our fathers hadn't been killed, then we most likely would have never met. He would have just been that boy from school who was a few years older than me that I sometimes saw in the hallways. I might have thought to myself that he was cute, but that's probably where it would have ended.

Whatever could have been between the two of us would never be. Not only because I had never allowed myself the possibility of that kind of future with anyone, but because the ability to choose had never existed. I would never be able to know with certainty if Gale and I were meant to be or simply together due to the hands that we had been dealt.

Number Two: I had almost kissed Peeta Mellark.

I had a hard time even finding a place to start with that one. It was strange enough that I had managed to come to a point where I called him a friend. To my immediate knowledge, we had practically nothing in common, but it didn't seem to stop the gravitational pull he had apparently developed over me.

I sat there for at least the next hour trying to pinpoint exactly what was drawing me to Peeta in the first place. What I ended up with was a hand-written list of the things that I knew about him, and also liked. I was surprised by some of the things noted.

The facts that he smelled good, and had nice arms were probably the most shocking.

I reread the list in my hands, and before I could stop myself, uncapped the pen to add one more thing.

_He makes me feel safe._

I could barely wrap my head around the statement, but I knew that it was true. Peeta made me feel safe. From the small gesture of making sure that I didn't fall on my face that very first day in gym class that we spoke, to the larger gesture of lending an ear when I'd needed one on Saturday.

Finding myself even more confused, I decided that regardless of the façade of sickness, I had to get out of the house. While I had originally planned on just going beyond the fence and wandering around the woods for a bit, I ended up at the lake.

I had told myself over and over that as beautiful as this spot was, I needed to bring someone else to see it. It was far too wonderful to have no one other than myself to enjoy and appreciate it. Once or twice, I had even thought about showing it to Gale, but the time had never seemed right.

I settled against a large tree and stared out at the water. The last time that my father had brought me to the lake had been about two months before he died.

I could barely recall any of the details of that trip, but I did remember that it had been too cold to swim that day. He had taught me the summer before, and afterward I couldn't enough of the feel of my limbs slicing through the water.

He had laughed at the pout I'd given at not being able to swim that day, and pulled me down to sit beside him under the very tree I was leaning against then. I can recall sitting there, talking and fishing, until the sun started to set.

"Next Summer, you get to help me teach your sister to swim, little bird. And when you're older, and have a family of your own, you'll teach them as well."

I smiled up at him, as I slung the bag with the plants I'd gathered up onto my shoulder. On the way home, we made a plan to come back in a few months to fish again. It would have warmed up by then, and hopefully not long after that, I'd be able to swim once more.

I stood to clear my head of those memories and then began to make my way home.

Prim still didn't know how to swim. I never taught her. This was something that I was almost positive would have made my father sad. It took that thought for me to realize that my whole outlook on life would have made my father even sadder.

Even after he'd been gone for almost five years, I couldn't handle the thought of my father being disappointed in me.

By the time I walked through the front door of our house, I could practically hear the tears that were gathering behind my eyes. My throat was starting to burn, and I barely had time to close the door when a choked sob escaped my lips.

I had failed to notice my mother sitting at the kitchen counter until I heard the shuffling of her feet across the floor. I looked up just in time to see a hesitant look cross her face before she decided to wrap her arms around me. She wordlessly led me over to the couch and, as we sat down, I pulled my legs up against my chest. I could feel her hesitate once again, and then pull me close so I could lay my head against her shoulder.

It had been years since I'd felt my mother's embrace. I'd almost forgotten the feeling of it altogether. Until that moment, I hadn't recalled the unique scent of mint and aloe that lingered on her skin. I had also repressed the memory of the way her fingertips gripped my shoulders, like she was scared that if she let go, whatever was plaguing me would gain a tighter hold.

I sniffed loudly, and wiped my eyes with the back of my hand. With her grip still tight, my mother leaned back slightly so that she had a clear view of my face. Concern was evident in her eyes, and it only caused me to cry harder.

"Oh, Katniss," she whispered as she held up a hand to smooth my hair. "Sweetie, what's wrong?"

I knew admitting that I was missing my father would probably not be the best topic of conversation, but I already felt so emotionally drained that it didn't matter. I swallowed hard and looked up to meet her eyes.

"I miss Dad."

That was the first time that I'd ever said that out loud. Thinking back, it was really the first time that I'd even talked about my father since his death. I'd never wanted to upset my mother more than she already was. I had listened to Prim speak about how much she missed him, and how much she hurt, but had never done so myself.

The look on my mother's face let me know that she was just realizing this. She tugged me even closer, almost pulling me into her lap. That action gave me the courage that I needed to go on.

"I'm just worried that sometimes… sometimes he wouldn't be proud of me."

My mother pushed me away then, and I immediately switched into a defensive mode. I was positive that I had said the wrong thing, but when I looked up at her, I was caught off guard.

Her eyes were glassy as she took her hands and held tightly to the tops of my shoulders. She breathed in deeply, and blew her hair from her face as she exhaled. I could feel the shake in her limbs, and see how hard it was for her to stay there with me, and not retreat into the world of grief she had created for herself.

"Katniss," she began, her fingers digging into my flesh even harder. "Your father wouldn't be proud of that way that either of us has acted."

I hadn't expected that. I wasn't sure what I had expected.

"He _would_ be proud of the way that you've provided for us, though. He would be proud of how you've become such a strong, loyal, beautiful girl. He would be proud of you for so many reasons." Her voice broke on the last sentence, and I thought she was done, but no. "You're right, though. Your father would, in no way, be proud of the way that you've closed off your heart. And he would never forgive me for abandoning you girls the way that I have."

"You're right," I nod. She needed to hear someone else say it. "He wouldn't be able to bear it."

There was a lot more that needed to be said between the two of us, but that wasn't the time for it. We had just taken the first step in rebuilding our relationship, and it was emotionally draining for the both of us. We sat on the couch, wrapped in one another's arms, crying intermittently, until it was almost time for Prim to get home from school.

When we finally separated, she looked me in the eyes, and gave me a watery smile.

"Let's try to start living our lives the way he would have wanted us to." She laid her hand on my cheek before she got up to move into the kitchen. Once she reached the counter where she had been seated when I had first arrived home, she picked up a discarded piece of paper. She brought it back and handed it to me. "Oh, and if you want to talk about this… Whenever you want to talk about it, I'll be here."

I looked down at the list I had made that morning, and could feel a blush creeping up from my neck. I rolled my eyes at how careless I had been leaving it around, and one side of my mouth quirked up.

"Sure, Mom."

* * *

><p>"Yeah, just wait here! I'll make sure she's well enough to come out."<p>

I heard Prim's voice from where I was seated on the edge of my bed. I immediately tensed as I heard her walk into the bedroom. While my tears had certainly had time to dry, I was pretty sure my eyes were still red and puffy from them.

"Someone is here to see you, Katniss."

I turned to look at my younger sister. I took note of the knowing look on her face, and raised an eyebrow.

"I knew you weren't really sick this morning." She smiled then, and turned to walk back into the living room. I noticed that she immediately deposited herself onto the couch, purposely leaving me with no option but to talk to the person waiting outside.

I ruffled her hair as I passed by her, and steadied myself for the conversation that was about to transpire. I knew that I was going to have to talk with both Gale and Peeta sooner or later, but I had assumed it wouldn't be until at least the next day. I had to quickly adapt to the thinking of 'better now than never'.

I took a deep breath, and stepped through the front door.

Gale stood with his back to me, leaning against one of the beams that supported the roof of our porch. His shoulders were hunched, and his hands were stuffed into his pockets. Over the years, I had come to know that what that stance meant.

Gale rarely showed remorse. Mostly this was because he hardly did anything without thinking it through first. I had seen this stature a couple of times, though.

Once, not long after we had met, he had made fun of me for being so protective of my bow. I don't recall the exact circumstances, but I do remember I'd been teaching him to shoot and he had come close to dropping it. I left that afternoon without even bothering to collect the arrows he'd already shot at the target. When I returned the next day and told him that it was one of the few things that I had left that really reminded me of my father, he had grown uncomfortable, and given a heartfelt apology.

The posture Gale had as he stood on my porch then was mirroring the way he had stood in the woods all those years ago.

"Hey."

He turned at the sound of my voice, and the uncertainty in his eyes was clear to me. He wasn't sure if he should have come. He nodded, and then jerked his head to the side.

"Hey. Want to go sit around back?"

I nodded my head, and followed him to our backyard. The old, wooden chairs that we sat in had been worn smooth in most spots due to age as well as use, and were settled around what was our fire pit during the colder months. We settled into our regular chairs across from each other, and he leaned forward, his elbows on his knees.

"I'm sorry." He took a deep breath. "I just wanted to say that I'm sorry."

I knew that this was going to be hard for him, but he really seemed to be struggling with what he was trying to say. Gale was really only good with words when he was angry at something. Angry at something other than himself.

When I didn't reply he gave an exasperated sigh, and then shifted in his chair. He scooted the chair forward a little, but refused to meet my eyes.

"I don't want to lose you, Catnip." The pain was evident in his eyes when he finally lifted them to meet mine. "You're my best friend, and I can't stand the thought of losing you to someone else. Someone like him…."

I looked down at my lap then, fully aware of whom he was talking about. It seemed like an eternity before he continued to speak. He finally stood, and started to make his way to my chair.

"Katniss, I—"

"Don't, Gale. Please, don't." I looked up at him with pleading eyes. "You're my best friend, too. Nothing is ever going to ruin that…. except maybe what you're about to say."

The look of hurt on his face made my heart drop into my stomach. He took a step backward, and I rushed to my feet. I grabbed hold of his arm, and tugged him back into place. There was no way he was going to get out of this conversation.

"I'm sorry. That might not have been the right thing to say, but… but that doesn't mean that it didn't _need _to be said." I paused then, unsure of how to continue. Gale sat back down, and this time I took the seat beside him. I hadn't told anyone, aside from Prim, that I loved them, in any way, since my father's death. "I love you, Gale, and nothing's ever going to change that. I can't love you the way that you want me to, though."

"Catnip, I…" He was unable to find the words he wanted to say, and settled for taking my hands into his. He was silent for several more minutes. "Maybe you could learn."

I felt the prick of the tears that were building in my eyes, and blinked them back. How could I respond to that without causing him more pain? That was not a side of my best friend that I had experienced before.

"I'm sure that I would, but I think we both know that wouldn't be fair… It wouldn't be fair to either of us. You're great, Gale. Absolutely wonderful. You deserve someone who can truly appreciate that."

"And you couldn't?"

"I already do, but…" How could I tell this boy that I could only look at him as a brother from now on? As someone that I would defend with my life, but not spend it with. "Well, I see all of those things about you already, Gale. That's why I want to make sure that you're happy. I want to make sure that you end up with someone who can make you happy…"

"And that person's not you." He finished my thought for me.

I shook my head slowly, and dropped my eyes from his once more.

"Please don't hate me."

"I could never hate you, Catnip. I guess I should've known…"

I looked up at him, trying to read his expression. He had turned his head to stare off at some unknown point in the distance, though, and the crease between his brows was deep.

"What do you mean?"

"Come on." The corner of his mouth hitched up in crooked grin that I could tell was a little false. "I've noticed the way that you've kept tabs on him over the years. I'm not even sure that you noticed it… All those times I saw you watching him when we traded with the baker, that wrestling match you acted like you had no interest in, but then became abnormally fascinated with. I should've known the moment you practically fell into his arms in the middle of the gym."

I was once again at a loss for words as I watched Gale stand up, and pull me out of my chair. He wrapped his arms around me, and I closed my eyes as I laid my head against his chest. I felt his lips brush the top of my head. I took a step back, but not far enough for him to let go, and looked up.

"So… we're okay?" I asked, hope apparent in my voice.

"We're okay."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>I know, I know! There's no Peeta in this chapter, and I'm sorry for that. Rest assured, though, he'll be back in the next chapter! The flow of this chapter just didn't work with his scenes. Also, I've been dealing with some pretty irritating health issues this week, so that explains why it's taken me a little longer to update.

Also, I want to again thank everyone who's reviewed, or added this story to their alerts! :)


	8. Chapter 8

Tuesday morning I woke up feeling intensely nervous. I had handled the conversation with Gale better than I'd expected to, but was unsure of how my talk with Peeta would go. I went through the motions of getting ready and left the house with Prim.

I couldn't stop a smile from taking over my face when I spotted Gale, with Rory, waiting on us a few houses down. I had been worried that even after our talk the night before, our normal routine would be upset.

Peeta wasn't in history that morning. I also didn't see him at lunch. It wasn't until I had gotten to gym class that Madge informed me that he hadn't been present the day before, either. She said she was almost certain she had seen him through the window of the bakery that morning on her way to school, though.

I sat on the bleachers that day, trying, half-heartedly to remember the steps to a newer dance that the class was being taught. It was a bit more complicated than the others, and was much more involved, partner-wise.

I wondered if maybe Peeta was sick, but remembered quickly Madge's words about seeing him at the bakery that morning. Sure, his mother was a bit of a witch, but surely she wouldn't make her youngest son work while he was ill. Maybe he was avoiding me.

I made my way to English class in a daze. In less than a week's time, I had gotten used to having Peeta by my side on the walk, and something felt off without him there. I had almost made it to the door of the classroom when I heard her.

"And when I stopped by the bakery this morning, he wouldn't even look at me!" Elyse Marten's painfully whiney voice rang out from where she stood a few yards away with a friend of hers, whose name escaped me. Her blonde curls were bouncing around her shoulders as she illustrated her frustration by throwing her arms into the air. "I mean, yeah, so I told his mom about him hanging out with that little Seam brat and, judging by the bruise on his cheek, he obviously got into trouble… Still, though! You think he would realize that I only told her for his own good!"

I stopped walking and instantly felt my stomach drop. What had she done?

Without thinking, I turned on my heel and started to run through the hallways. I neglected to think of the trouble I could get into for bolting out of the school like that. I also didn't think of the repercussions of me showing up at Peeta's house until I was rounding the corner of the street the bakery was situated on.

I slowed to a stop, and leaned over to place my hands on my knees. I was out of breath, and probably looked like a crazed fool.

As I straightened myself, I started to regret the decision I had just made. I didn't care so much about getting into trouble at school, but more about the trouble I could potentially cause Peeta if his mother were to see me there.

I was still standing there, contemplating those things, when I heard the bell above the bakery's door ring. I was prepared for the worst as I raised my eyes from the ground.

Peeta's father stood with half of his body on the sidewalk as he held the door open. His eyes sought out mine and with a small smile, he beckoned me over. I took a few steps, and then slowed my pace. The look on my face must have conveyed the hesitance I was feeling.

"Don't worry," Mr. Mellark's warm voice instantly made me feel a little better. "My wife is visiting her sister until this Friday. It's okay."

I couldn't speak as my feet lead me through the door of the bakery. As soon as I heard it close behind me, I turned to face Peeta's father. The sympathetic smile was still in place as he led me to the back room and pointed to the stairs leading up to the part of their house I had been in just a few short days before. It felt like it had been years.

As he did this, I noticed Peeta's oldest brother, whose name I couldn't recall, look up from his spot behind the counter. From what I could remember, he had graduated a couple of years before, making him around 20 or so. He looked a lot like Peeta, only about four inches taller and with darker blonde hair. He gave me a lop-sided smile that probably would have seemed smug coming from someone else. Something about his eyes reminded me of his youngest brother, though. Maybe Julian was the only Mellark brother that really fit into the whole 'townie' persona.

I tried my best to return the smile, and could only hope that it looked genuine.

"Peeta is in his room." Mr. Mellark's eyes were still soft.

I was half way up the steps before realizing that I hadn't said a word since I'd come in from the street. I turned back, glad to see that he was still standing in the open doorway, and smiled.

"Thank you."

My voice came out softer than usual, and even I was surprised by the absolute warmth in my voice. Mr. Mellark nodded, and then disappeared back in the bakery below.

Before I could lose my nerve, I quickly made my way to the top of the staircase. Once I reached the top step, I took a moment to myself to breathe in deeply. I ran a hand over my hair, and quietly followed the path that I remembered taking to Peeta's room on Saturday.

I stood in front of his door, and readied my hand to knock, then lowered it again. I briefly worried about what I was going to say, but then remembered Elyse's words from what could have only been 15 minutes before. Those thoughts immediately refueled my need to see him, and I raised my fist once again.

The door in front of me swung open at that moment, before I could even lay my hand on it. Peeta stood there in front of me, a thin blue t-shirt and flannel pants adorning his body. His feet were bare, and in his hand was an empty glass. My eyes swept his face and, aside from the look of shock that had caused his mouth to fall open slightly, I was instantly drawn to the fading bruise that covered most of his left cheek.

A soft gasp escaped my lips before I could stop it. I brought my hand up to cover my mouth and felt my face grow hot. Peeta continued to stare for a moment before regaining his composure.

"Katniss, I… I, well, I wasn't expecting to see you here." He stammered out his reply. He stepped back with one foot, and made a clear pathway that allowed me to enter the room.

"Your dad let me in," I supplied lamely.

I moved into the room, noting the still unmade bed that I doubted would have been permissible had his mother been home. The chair Peeta had sat in a few days before was covered in what could have been clean, or dirty clothes. It was hard to tell. He hurriedly threw the comforter over the top of the bed to cover the rumpled sheets.

"Have a seat. I was just headed to the kitchen to grab something to drink. I'll be right back."

I watched his back retreat down the hallway as I perched myself precariously at the foot of the bed. I glanced around the room, taking in all that I hadn't been in the proper mindset to notice before.

It wasn't terribly different from my own bedroom. It was sparsely furnished, with only a bed, small dresser, and the desk that was situated beside the bed. In front of the desk was a window that overlooked the street below. I heard Peeta's footsteps enter the hallway, and sat up straight.

He entered the room with a glass of water in each hand, and placed them both on the desk before closing the door behind him.

"I wasn't sure if you wanted anything, so I got you a glass just in case."

"Thanks."

He stood awkwardly and I found myself irritated that I had made him feel out of place in his own bedroom. Not caring how bold it might seem, I slipped my boots off, and tucked my feet up underneath me on the mattress. I saw how his eyes followed my legs as I folded them under my body, and the fluttering in my stomach began. It was difficult to ignore the erratic way that my heart began to pound as I watched him swallow hard.

He picked up one of the glasses of water from his desk and drained it in two gulps. He rocked back and forth on his feet, while trying to decide what he would do next.

"Oh, will you just sit down, Peeta?" My voice came out softer than usual.

He let out a small laugh, and moved to sit with his back against the headboard. His legs were stretched out in front of him, not leaving me much room. I raised an eyebrow at this, and he grinned again. He budged over to the center of the headboard, allowing me room to scoot up a few feet while still facing him.

Still not knowing what to say, I leaned in slightly and brushed the fingers of my left hand over the fading purple and green that marred his face. His eyes fluttered close at my touch, and I tried not to shiver as the silky strands of his blonde curls brushed my knuckles.

"Peeta, I'm so sorry."

His eyes flew open, and he reached up to take my hand into his. A look of disgust crossed his face, but I immediately knew that it had nothing to do with me.

"Katniss, you didn't do anything wrong." His voice was soft, and I almost squirmed at the intensity of it.

"I was supposed to protect you from Elyse, remember?" I was trying to make the conversation as light as possible, but even I knew that line wasn't funny. I gave him a half-smirk.

Peeta laughed anyway, and the sound made my smile genuine and my stomach feel funny.

"Yeah, but we didn't say anything about my mom."

A cloudy look passed over his face and I felt my stomach clench. I had forgotten until that moment that his hand was still holding mine, and gave it a squeeze.

Dropping his hand, I rocked up onto my knees, and turned so I could place my back against the headboard beside him. He didn't move from the center, leaving me squished pretty tightly against his side, but neither of us mentioned it.

I didn't look at him as I spoke.

"She's always been like this, hasn't she?"

Peeta was still for a few seconds before I felt his shoulders sag beside me.

"More or less. She's just… She's not a happy woman."

"That doesn't give her the right, though, Peeta!" I was suddenly angry, and threw my hands into the air out in front of me. I couldn't fight the image of passing an eleven year old Peeta in the schoolyard the morning after he'd given me the bread; the bruise on his face that day so similar to the one I was looking at that very moment. "It was my fault before, too."

I didn't realize that I had spoken that last thought aloud until I heard his sharp intake of breath. His hand lay parallel to mine, on his own leg, and he inched it toward me, asking for permission. I turned my hand over, palm side up, and he filled it with his.

"You remember that?" His voice was low, and he had turned to face me.

I almost scoffed at the idea of being able to forget it. I could see that Peeta was unaware of how much of an impact his small act of kindness had on me. I didn't turn my head, but leaned my shoulder more on to his.

"Peeta, that bread saved my life. Of course I remember."

The air in the room seemed a lot thicker than it had just seconds before, and even though I wanted the subject to pass, there was one more thing that I had to say. I turned my head and leaned up a little, placing a quick kiss on his unharmed cheek.

"Thank you. I wish that I had been able to say that sooner."

I swiftly turned my head back to face forward. I saw a small, sweet smile form on Peeta's face from the corner of my eye. Having finally thanked him for his actions years ago seemed to have lifted a weight from my chest. I instantly felt lighter inside.

"I'm sorry about what happened on Saturday, Katniss."

Peeta's thumb was tracing circles on the outside of mine, and I was so caught up in the sensation that I almost missed what he said.

"You have nothing to be sorry for. God, I'm the one who ran out of here like a crazy person."

"Weeellll…" Peeta dragged the word out, and nudged me in the side playfully. "Seriously, though. I just want you to know that I… I wasn't trying to take advantage of the situation, or anything."

"I never thought that you were," I say back honestly.

We sat in a comfortable silence for a bit; our hands intertwined, and legs stretched out before us. The stress of the past few days had overwhelmed me more than I thought possible and I laid my head on his shoulder.

"You know, my father was in love with your mother when they were our age."

He supplied this sentence as if it were common knowledge. Hell, it might have been, but I had never heard it before. The look I gave him must have said as much because he continued, and I laid my head back on his shoulder.

"Yeah. I remember the very first day of school; he pointed to you from across the yard. He said, 'See that little girl? I wanted to marry her mother, but she ran off with a coal miner.'"

I lifted my head and looked up at him. I could barely remember that day myself and wondered how he could with such clarity.

"Really?"

"True story," Peeta says. "And I said, 'A coal miner? Why did she want a coal miner if she could've had you?' And he said, 'Because when he sings… even the birds stop to listen.'"

"It's true, they do… They did," I correct myself. For the first time that I can remember, the memory of my father does not make me sad. A nostalgic smile took up my face as I felt Peeta shift beside me.

"Well, I can tell you right now that I'm glad she didn't marry my dad. My mother may be… difficult, but I'd rather deal with that. However, the idea of you as my sister would make things exponentially more awkward."

I stilled at his words, and let their meaning sink in deeper. His hand was still holding mine, but a bit more loosely than before, as if he had just realized what he had said himself. My mind told me that it was not a road I was ready to go down in that conversation, but my mouth obviously paid no mind.

"I'm sure that if that were the case, the feelings causing said awkwardness wouldn't exist."

"Yeah, you're right." Peeta nodded his head in agreement, but then his voice grew low. "I like these feelings, though. I don't think I'd feel quite right without them."

I tensed and sat upright, lifting my back from the headboard behind me. My mouth might have been a step or two ahead of my brain with my last sentence, but I knew then that I had to change the subject. I wasn't ready for the conversation we had started.

"So your oldest brother seems nice!" I blurted out louder than I had meant to. I shifted back into my original position, facing him from the opposite end of the bed with my legs underneath me. The sensation of my then-empty hand and not having Peeta pressed against my side left me feeling a little cold.

Peeta's face showed no surprise that I had changed the subject so quickly. He brought his legs in to sit Indian-style, and leaned over to stretch his arms out in front of him. I tried, in vain, not to let my gaze linger on the plain of his back.

"Carter? Yeah, he's a good guy. A lot easier to deal with than Julian, that's for sure…"

Peeta trailed off and I could tell we were both thinking of the interruption Julian had provided us with a few days prior.

"And your father told me that your mom is going to be visiting her sister until Friday. I guess that means she'll still be at the festival this weekend then, right?"

"Yeah, but she normally doesn't even bother to attend most of the events. As soon as it starts getting dark, she usually heads back here."

"Great," I muttered. Peeta shot me a confused look, and I explained. "Well, the dance is earlier in the day… Is she going to get upset by seeing us dancing together? I just don't want you to get in trouble... because of me….again..."

"My mother should have accepted a long time ago that I was never going to live up to her standards. Why should I, when I don't agree with them?" I suspected that was a conversation that _he _wanted to avoid having and when he changed the subject, I knew that I had been right. "Besides, she can hardly blame us for who we were placed with in class."

"Speaking of which," I stood from the bed then and motioned for him to stand. "They taught us a new dance in gym today. I could try to teach it to you."

Peeta quickly took his place beside me, in the fashion of all of the other dances we'd be doing in class. He seemed grateful for a reason to stop all of the talk about his mom.

For a brief second, I regretted my decision. Within that second, I took in the way that his shoulder was four to five inches taller than my own, how his blonde curls were lighter toward their tips, the undeniable strength of his jawline, and then the fact that he was still in his pajamas.

My confidence waivered momentarily, but I shook it off. I placed a hand on each of his arms, and moved myself to stand in front of him.

"Actually, this one's different. We have to face each other."

He nodded, and offered me a small smile. I lifted my right hand into the air for him to take, and placed my left on top of his right shoulder. He gripped my hand with his left and let the other hover, uncertain, over my side. I lifted my eyebrows and indicated that he should place his hand there.

I wasn't a large girl by any means, but nothing had ever made me feel quite as petite as the sensation of Peeta's hand on my waist. His palm was flush against my back, fingers splayed across it, covering its entire width. The heat from his hand seeped through the fabric of my shirt, and seemed to continue to spread. By the time I remembered I was supposed to be giving him a dancing lesson, I felt like my body would burst into flames at any moment.

I surprised myself with how many of the steps I had actually remembered from class. It could have only been an hour before, but it seemed like it had been days since I had been sitting on those hard bleachers. Peeta told me that he thought I was a good teacher, and even I had to admit that after a bit, we were doing fairly well.

Despite it going well for the _most _part, practicing without the music usually provided for us in class made it harder to keep up with all the steps. Somewhere along the way, a right turned into a left, and what was supposed to be a twirl turned into a trip.

It was only fractions of a second after Peeta had wrapped me in his arms in order to stop me from falling backward that the door to the room was thrown open. Julian let out a loud laugh, and leaned against the doorframe with an eyebrow quirked. Peeta tightened his hold on me and I buried my face into his chest to hide the rapidly blooming blush. Of course, the intimacy of that position was not completely lost on me, but I found that I'd rather deal with that than the look on Peeta's brother's face.

"You know, if I didn't know any better…." Julian's voice dropped off. I peeked up and realized it was because of the hard look Peeta was giving him.

"Did you need something?" His voice was cool.

"Just wanted to let you know that Marten girl is downstairs. She wants to talk to you."

I guess that Julian got the message that Peeta's still severe expression was sending him because he quickly left the room. I noticed that he was retying the strings of the apron around his waist, and realized it must have been his afternoon to work at the bakery.

I untangled myself from Peeta and immediately reached for my boots where they had been kicked under his bed. I knelt down to the put them on and glanced up at him.

"I didn't realize it was late as it is. I should probably head home."

"Oh… Of course." He ran a hand through his hair, making the loose curls seem more striking to me. "Can I walk you home?"

"Sure." The word was out of my mouth before I had time to think about it. I had no problem with it, really, but worried momentarily about the consequences of someone seeing us together. Someone like Gale, or my mother. The smile that took place on Peeta's face at my acceptance was enough to send those worries out the window, though.

I stood up straight after having laced my boots, and grabbed my backpack that I had completely forgotten about off the floor. Peeta was moving toward me when I put a hand up to stop him. I almost laughed at the confused look on his face.

"Peeta, you don't have on any shoes… Or any real pants for that matter."

"Uh… yeah," He chuckled. "Just give me a minute."

I stepped outside his room and closed the door. Less than a minute later he emerged, fully dressed, and we slipped out of the side door of his house in order to avoid Elyse. We almost made it, but she had apparently been facing the windows and caught sight of us. Noting the horrified look on her face when she saw us together, Peeta grabbed my hand as we broke into a run.

As childish as it might have been, I couldn't help but feel lighter inside as we ignored the stares and points we were receiving. I hadn't felt that carefree in years.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> Again, thanks for all the reviews and alerts! They definitely help keep me motivated. I just wanted to let everyone know that I'll more than likely only be able to update this story once a week from here on out. Between work and numerous doctor's appointments (Yay, neurologists.), my time to write has been limited.


	9. Chapter 9

Wednesday and Thursday passed in a blur.

In the mornings, Gale and Rory would be waiting out in front of their house to walk Prim and me to school.

Gale's attitude toward me was slightly different, but I hadn't expected it to be completely the same. Before, he might have casually slung his arm across my shoulders as we trailed behind the younger kids. Now his arms hung loosely at his sides, sure not to come too near to my own. The lack of closeness bothered me, but I was able to acknowledge that wanting things to stay the exact same would have been selfish of me.

At school, Peeta and I would walk from History to lunch together, but never sat at the same table. I silently appreciated the way he handled the situation. Despite our growing friendship, he seemed to respect the fact that lunch was my time to spend with my best friend.

I didn't miss the strained look that would briefly flash across Gale's face whenever he saw us entering the schoolyard together, no matter how hard he worked to hide it. I didn't acknowledge it, but sometimes found myself reaching a little too far to try to keep things 'normal' between us. Whenever this would happen, Gale would lift his eyebrows, place his hand over mine, and smirk. It showed me that Gale wasn't the only one that would have to take time to get used to these new developments.

The first few minutes of gym both days were spent talking quietly with Madge. Of course, being Madge, she was more than anxious for details when it came to the budding friendship between me and Peeta.

She had practically squealed with delight when she realized that we were actually becoming friends. It wasn't until she let it slip that she was hopeful this new development would make Gale look at someone else for a change, that I realized that I had been the only one ignorant of his feelings before.

After gym, Peeta and I would walk to English together.

It appeared that Elyse had not quite given up on her quest for him. Wednesday she had made some snide comment as she followed us down the hallways, which caused Peeta to place his hand in mine. He, of course, told me that it was to keep me from hauling off and slapping her. I had to admit, I had been getting closer and closer to it, but the second his fingers would intertwine with mine, all thoughts of her snooty little face vanished from my brain.

On Thursday, I reached for his hand first, just to piss her off.

* * *

><p>Friday started off the same as the two days before it. Gale walked with me to school. Peeta walked with me to lunch after History, and I sat with Gale during our meal.<p>

It was during lunch that things apparently took a turn for the worse. Despite my efforts to spend my time at the lunch table talking to Gale, my eyes always seemed to find their way to where Peeta sat with his friends, a few tables away.

I had noticed that over the past couple of days, things at Peeta's lunch table had seemed a little tense. I had asked him about it the day before, but he had brushed it off, muttering about some of the guys just being jerks.

The trend seemed to continue on Friday.

When our allotted time for lunch was almost up, I saw Peeta push his chair back roughly, and stalk off in exasperation. He hadn't even bothered to take the remainder of his lunch with him.

Without thinking, I stood up from my seat. Gale glanced up at me, having witnessed the same thing I had from over his shoulder, and nodded slightly. I quickly placed my hand over his and gave it a light squeeze. I noticed that Peeta had left his backpack lying beside his then abandoned seat, and the bell rang as I walked over to pick it up for him.

I kept my eyes on the backpack as I made my way through the crowd that was vacating the schoolyard. I couldn't help but notice that none of Peeta's friends were getting up from their table to leave. All of their eyes were on me as I bent over to grab the forgotten pack, and I suddenly felt very uncomfortable. A couple of guys who were also in our next period gym class were smirking at me in a way that left me feeling unsettled.

As I straightened myself out, I noticed their stares had gone from me to a spot just over my left shoulder. I turned to see that Gale was moving quickly to my side. The stony look on his face as he placed a hand on my shoulder was sending a clear message, but it didn't stop one of the boys sitting at the end of the table from muttering something under his breath. Before he could retaliate, I pulled Gale away from the table by his elbow, and toward our next class.

We separated at the doors of the gymnasium and I made my way to sit with Madge on the bleachers while we waited for our teacher. She was in the middle of explaining to me what her dress for Saturday was going to look like when sounds of a scuffle broke out at the other end of the room.

It was normal for the guys in class to get into 'fake fights' just for the sake of having something to do, so I didn't bother to look over until I heard Madge gasp and grab my arm.

I looked up to see that almost all of the guys from our class had gathered around whoever was fighting. It wasn't hard to pick Gale out of the center of the circle; he stood almost a half a head taller than most of the boys in the room.

I had jumped from my seat and ran over before I even realized it. I got there just in time to see him shove one of the guys that had been sitting with Peeta at lunch back against the wall. He was addressing him in a low, threatening voice when the other boy from earlier pushed his way through the front of the crowd.

"Come on, Hawthorne!" His jibe rang through the air. "You're just mad that people saw your little girlfriend leaving Mellark's house the other day!"

"Truth hurts, doesn't it?" The boy Gale had pushed seemed to gain confidence now that his friend was backing him. It was short-lived, however.

I don't think that I had ever seen Gale as angry as he was then, and couldn't help but wonder if what I was seeing was like what had happened between him and Everett. He grabbed the shoulders of the first boy who had spoken and, all at once, there were punches being thrown, as well as insults. Unfortunately, there were a lot more boys from town in our class than guys from the Seam, and none of them could resist a fight. Peeta's older brother even joined in, but I couldn't spot Peeta himself anywhere.

I stood there, frozen in both anger and shock. I glanced over to one side to see Elyse standing, arms crossed over her chest, on the outskirts of the crowd. She caught me looking at her, and lifted a corner of her mouth and one eyebrow. I looked from her, to the fight, and then back to her. Immediately I saw red.

"Really, Hawthorne? You're going to try to take on all of us just because of some Seam slut!" Julian's voice rang out loud over the crowd. It was the only thing that stopped me from rushing over to Elyse and starting a fight of my own.

Julian was immediately tackled to the ground, but that wasn't what shocked me out of my stupor. It was the fact that Peeta had been the one to tackle him that finally caused my feet to move. Julian was bigger than Peeta. Not by much, but he was the only person that Peeta had lost to in the wrestling tournament earlier in the year.

I got as close as I could to the inner circle just in time to see Peeta punch his brother square in the jaw. His head hit the polished wood of the floor underneath him with a thud. Julian tried, in vain, to get the best of his little brother, but Peeta wasn't letting up. They continued to roll around on the floor for what could have only been 15 seconds, but seemed like hours.

The crowd of boys around Gale had dispersed; everyone's eyes were glued to the two brothers having it out. That gave Gale the opportunity to grab Julian under both of his arms and haul him off Peeta. Gale shoved him away roughly and all three boys stood, Peeta and Gale in silent camaraderie against the older Mellark. The yells of our teacher that had finally appeared exploded from the opposite side of the gym.

The crowd of students backed away slowly, leaving the teacher room to reach them. While they stood there, being reprimanded, I took in the damage that had been done.

The original two instigators weren't looking their best. While Gale was certainly not as put together as normal, with his shirt ripped at the shoulder and a red patch above his right eyebrow, he had definitely gotten the best of them. Peeta stood a foot away from him, his hands stuffed into his pockets. His hair was sticking out in all directions, and his already bruised cheek was bound to be worse the following day. His shirt had come untucked, and he was still glaring at his brother. To be honest, it appeared Julian had gotten the worst of it. Not only would he have some pretty nasty bruises, and an undeniable bump on the back of his head from coming in contact with the floor, but his nose was also bleeding pretty steadily.

I watched, still unable to move, as Coach Marrok began to escort all parties involved into the hallway. Everyone else had stepped back, leaving me standing in the middle of the room, alone. Gale glanced back over his shoulder and briefly met my eyes before turning the corner and disappearing from view. The line of bleeding and bruised boys followed behind him, with Peeta bringing up the rear.

Just before he reached the door, he caught my eyes, and quickly jogged over to me. I was still too overwhelmed to react when he hurriedly took my hands into his. He looked me right in the eye, and my stomach clenched.

"Katniss, I am so sorry."

With that said, he walked back toward the door, ignoring the agitated look on Coach Marrok's face as he passed by him.

The entire class was completely silent as I slowly turned around. The sneer on Elyse Marten's face was the only thing that I saw, and I made a beeline to where she stood.

"Do you _see_ what you did?" I practically growled at her as I drew near.

"What I did?" Her voice was shriller when she was angry, apparently. "Maybe if you would have just stayed where you belong, and with _who _you belong, this wouldn't be an issue!"

My fist was doing that thing again. It was clenching and unclenching without my conscious knowledge. I tried to step closer to her, but felt someone pull me back. I looked to realize that Madge really did have more sturdiness than I'd given her credit for.

"Katniss, don't." Her eyes were pleading with me. "We both know she's not worth it."

"Oh, that's right, the outcasts stick together. Go ahead and defend her, poor little rich girl. I'm surprised Daddy even lets you be friends with Seam trash like her."

Elyse was just sputtering nonsense. I could tell that her ramblings had no clear direction at that point, but that didn't mean that they had no effect on Madge.

Madge stood taller than I'd ever seen her stand before, and walked up to settle less than a foot away from Elyse. She came to a stop, and my mouth almost dropped open when she rolled her eyes.

"Oh, please, Elyse. Give it a rest. You may be mad because Peeta wants nothing to do with you now, but we all know that tomorrow you'll have moved on to the next guy."

That was when my mouth actually _did _drop open, along with everyone else's. I didn't think that I'd ever heard Madge be so openly catty. Hell, I don't think that I'd even heard her say anything impolite about anyone before.

"Come on, Katniss." She walked back over to me, linked her arm through mine, and led me to sit down on the bleachers again.

Without a partner once again, I sat on the sidelines of the class. It gave me plenty of time to think over what had just occurred.

Gale had stood up for me.

Again.

When he had told me about the incident with Everett that had happened months before, I had immediately gotten upset with him, but this time I just couldn't bring myself to feel that way. Granted, I still didn't care what people said or thought about me. Anyone that had an opinion that mattered to me knew the truth, and that's what counted.

After witnessing the fight, though, I could tell that Gale took everything they said personally. Their verbal attacks of me upset him, regardless of how they made me feel. Like he'd said; he was protective of me. Thinking about that allowed me to realize that I couldn't fault him for reacting in a way that I also would have had the comments been about someone I was protective of.

I was unable to wrap my head around Peeta's actions, though.

I knew that he and Julian didn't see eye to eye on a lot of things, but the fact that he would stand up to his brother like that startled me. I also found myself shocked that this boy who, to my knowledge, had never gotten into any sort of trouble at school, who was always so quiet and polite, and who always had a smile for everyone would react in a similar manner as Gale. I was overwhelmed by the very idea that he could feel just as protective of me.

When the bell rang, I walked to English class alone. Peeta was noticeably absent, and I spent a good portion of the period trying not to plan Elyse Marten's death. I'd always heard that pre-meditated murder carried harsher consequences.

When the bell rang, I was out the door before anyone else. I was anxious to get to Peeta and Gale and find out what had happened.

I hadn't expected Peeta to be waiting right outside the door, leaning casually against the lockers across the hallway. I rushed over to him and, not giving him time to say anything, shoved his shoulder back into the locker behind him. Something inside of me was momentarily bothered that he didn't wince in the slightest.

"What were you thinking?" My voice was low, and my mind went back to just the week before when I had said almost the exact same thing to Gale.

Peeta lowered his face to where he was standing eye-level with me, and gave me a pointed look.

"I was _thinking _that what my brother said was untrue and out of line." He paused then, and reached up to take my hand that was still on his shoulder into his own. "I couldn't let him talk about you that way."

Instead of getting all worked up and reeling about how he didn't need to stand up for me, and how I didn't care what other people thought, like I had with Gale, I simply gave a deep sigh. I couldn't bring myself to be mad at the boy in front of me.

"You've got to stop getting yourself into trouble because of me."

I suddenly became aware of just how close we were standing, and straightened up quickly. It seemed we had drawn a crowd without either of us realizing it. I could only be grateful that we had been speaking in hushed tones and had not been overheard. I tightened my grip on Peeta's hand, and started to pull him down the hall. I couldn't stand being the center of attention any longer.

"Your mom's coming back today."

"Yeah…?"

"Isn't this just going to set her off again?" I gestured to the spot on his cheek that was already in the process of re-bruising. "And I'm sure the damage you did to your brother won't go unnoticed."

"Nah, I'll be fine." I raised an eyebrow, and he chuckled lightly. "She'll probably just think she did more harm than she actually did… And Julian, well, he won't say anything. I've got enough dirt on him to keep him quiet."

We proceeded in silence, and I was surprised when we got the point where we would normally go our separate ways. I had let go of Peeta's hand at some point during our walk, but he continued to walk beside me. I could see Gale sizing the two of us up from the end of the hallway, but didn't let it get to me. As we drew closer, our pace slowed and we stopped a few feet away from where Gale, Prim, and Rory stood. Prim raised an eyebrow at me, and I pointedly ignored her.

Gale looked at me, and then over to Peeta. He inclined his head in a very manly nod, and I watched as Peeta returned the gesture. I could feel the small smile that crossed my lips.

Peeta turned to me, and smiled slightly.

"See you tomorrow, Katniss."

"See you tomorrow, Peeta."

I watched as he turned to walk back the way we had just come from. I could feel Gale move to my side, and turned my head upward to look at his face. His expression was thoughtful, mixed with what I felt might have been defeat when he turned to me.

"His brother might be an ass, but Mellark's alright with me, Catnip."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>Again, thanks for all the reviews and alerts that this story has gotten! :)

I kind of struggled with this chapter, and hope that it came out okay. Big, big plans for the next one, though! It should be up sometime next week. :)


	10. Chapter 10

Saturday morning would have normally found me hunting with Gale in the woods, but never on the weekend of the spring festival. Extra peacekeepers from other districts, and sometimes even the Capitol, were always brought in for the festivities, and it just wasn't worth the risk.

Instead of my usual activities, I told Prim that I would help out our mother around the house that morning. As she made her way out our front door to meet Rory, I couldn't help but smile. My little sister had a boyfriend. While I still maintained that she was too young, I knew that I'd never be able to deny her anything.

My baby sister was too full of love and light to go on to lead a life filled with anything else. Who was I to stop her?

After sweeping, scouring, and scrubbing nearly every surface that I could find, it was barely noon. The festival didn't officially begin until 2:00PM. While my mother was finishing up reorganizing her healing supplies, I sat at the kitchen counter. It wasn't long before I found myself lost in my thoughts.

There was something different about that day. When I had woken up, I could just feel it.

The past two weeks had been an absolute mess; it was starting to look like things would finally be settling down. Gale and I had made up, and he even seemed to be okay with my new friendship with Peeta.

At least, I guessed that what Peeta and I had would be considered a friendship. I was no expert on the subject, having really only been close to Gale and, I suppose, Madge where friends were concerned. However, I was pretty sure that friends didn't hold hands as much as Peeta and I had been. They certainly didn't make your stomach fill with that wonderful, light, airy sensation that I seemed to have whenever he was near me.

I had no idea how long I had been staring at nothing before my mother snapped me out of it.

"Katniss? Katniss, sweetie."

Her voice brought me out of my stupor, and I looked over to find her sitting on the stool next to me. She smiled softly, and pushed a cup of mint tea in front of me.

"Is everything alright?" She asked. I felt myself warm at the concern in her voice. I was still getting used to its return.

"Yeah… Yeah, sorry. I was just thinking."

"About….?" She took a sip of her tea, and raised her eyebrows over the rim of the cup.

So this was it; the moment that my mother and I could have a real conversation. We could have the kind of talk that mothers and daughters would normally share. I wasn't positive how to begin.

"Ummm…."

She lowered her eyes, and I could tell at that moment she was struggling just as much as I was. I had forgotten that she had never done this before, either.

"Does it have anything to do with that list that I found last week?"

"I guess you could say that," I mumbled in reply. I contemplated my feelings for a moment. I couldn't help but think to myself _'what the hell?'_, and decided to dive right in. "I'm not used to feeling like this."

"I suppose that the boy in question is not Gale."

The frankness of her reply startled me a bit, but I recovered quickly.

"No. No, he's not."

"But Gale has had something to do with your conflict of emotions."

Again, it was not a question. I realized at that precise moment that she had been paying closer attention throughout the years than I had previously thought. I nodded, and then took a sip of the tea she'd given me.

"Gale kissed me last week."

My words came out quickly, and much louder than I had wished. If it hadn't been for the encouraging look on my mother's face, urging me to go on, I probably would have been embarrassed. Instead, I relayed the entire conversation that I'd had with Gale concerning our kiss and, by the time I had finally reached the end, I found myself feeling better almost instantly. Although I had left Peeta's name out, just talking about it had helped rid my head of some of the confusion.

My mother had a small smile on her face as she leaned over to push my braid behind one shoulder.

"It sounds like you've already made your decision, Sweetie."

"Does it? I'm not so sure… "

"Well," she paused, trying to find the right words. "You never told Gale he was wrong."

I sat there for a few seconds, unable to put together what she was saying, then it dawned on me. She was right. I thought back to the talk we'd had in my backyard that day. Back to some of Gale's last words.

_"Come on." The corner of his mouth hitched up in crooked grin that I could tell was a little false. "I've noticed the way that you've kept tabs on him over the years. I'm not even sure that you noticed it… All those times I saw you watching him when we traded with the baker, that wrestling match you acted like you had no interest in, but then became abnormally fascinated with. I should've known the moment you practically fell into his arms in the middle of the gym."_

I had never said anything to contradict what Gale had been saying. I had never been able to lie to him, and I guess that proved something. In this situation the only person I'd been attempting to fool was myself.

"You're right… I didn't."

"You're a smart girl, Katniss. No matter what you do, I know you'll be okay." She stood then and clasped one hand on my shoulder. "Just remember to think about what might have made your father proud. I have a feeling that'll help."

* * *

><p>When 2:00 rolled around, I was shocked to find that my mother would be joining us. She hadn't attended a spring festival with us since my father had died. She gave me a soft smile, and linked her arm through my own as we left our house.<p>

I spotted the Hawthornes waiting for us in their front yard, and pretended not to notice the way that Gale's eyes took in my appearance. I self-consciously smoothed down the skirt of my dress, and reached up to touch the elaborate braid that my mother had constructed for me.

I had been surprised when I'd walked into the bedroom to get ready and found one of my mother's beautiful, old dresses from her merchant days lying on top of the covers. It was a pale blue color, made from a satiny material that was cool to the touch. I was also surprised when I realized that it fit me perfectly, and couldn't help but blush when my mother and Prim had told me how beautiful I looked.

As we drew closer, Rory and Prim took one another's hand, and set out ahead of the rest of us. Mother unlinked her arm from mine and stepped forward to walk with Mrs. Hawthorne, leaving Gale and I to bring up the rear. We fell into place beside each other, and walked for the first few minutes in silence.

"You look different." Gale's deep voice interrupted the quiet. "It's not bad, but… yeah, just different."

"Umm… Thanks, I guess?" I laughed a little, and looked over at him. "We were told to dress our best, right?"

"You're right." He nodded his head, and didn't speak again until we had reached the outskirts of town. As were neared the town square, a few of Gale's friends from his grade called him over. He said that he would see me later, and walked off toward them.

I turned my attention from his retreating form, back to the path ahead of me. I noticed that my mother had stopped walking and was turned to face me. She smiled at my quizzical expression, and nodded to a spot across the street.

I looked over to see Peeta leaning against a lamppost, his head cocked slightly to one side, with a smile on his face. I stood frozen in place as I took him in. He had obviously been waiting on me to make my way into town, and I couldn't fight the grin that overtook my face no matter how hard I tried.

I had been so busy staring at him that I had failed to notice that my mother had moved to stand beside me. She nudged my side with her elbow to gain my attention. I turned to face her, willing myself not to blush. She smiled, and gently squeezed my hand in hers.

"Have fun, Sweetheart," she spoke softly into my ear, and then returned to catch up with Mrs. Hawthorne.

"Hey," I offered quietly after making my way across the street to stand in front of him.

He was wearing a pair of faded, tan, corduroy pants and an off-white, button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up. While standing beside him, in my mother's old merchant dress, and my hair pulled back into its intricate braid, I couldn't help but think to myself that, from the outside, we almost looked like a normal couple. Of course, when the word _'couple'_ entered my mind so easily, my thoughts became erratic, and once again, all jumbled together.

"Hey." Peeta smiled at me, and made a show of taking in my appearance from top to bottom with one eyebrow raised. I squirmed a little, and thought of how anyone else would have gotten slapped. "You look—,"

"Silly, I know." I interrupted him, gesturing down to the skirt of my dress.

"I was going to say beautiful, actually."

"Oh."

I had never been good at receiving compliments, not that it was normally an issue. In fact, I don't think that I had ever received one concerning my appearance from anyone other than family before then. I swallowed hard, and looked away before mumbling a 'thank you'.

"Well," I started as we began to walk further into town. A grin spread over my lips. "_You_ kind of look like you got into a fight yesterday."

Peeta let out a short laugh, and I stood on my tiptoes. I brought my hand up underneath his chin, and turned his face so that I could get a better look at his cheek. The bruise that had almost faded from before was back in full, purple and blue force. I grimaced and rocked back down off my toes.

"It looks worse than it is," Peeta assured me.

We finally came to the town square where the festival was just getting ready to start. Madge made her way over to us, and we all stood together with the rest of the residents of District 12 as her father said a few words. The opening ceremony was always the same, but everyone present in town was required to attend. The Peacekeepers brought in from the Capitol were there to ensure that.

I stood with my arms folded over my chest; Peeta's right arm was pressed tightly against my left. After growing weary of standing in the same position, I lowered them to my sides. Instead of concentrating on the words coming from Mayor Undersee's mouth, my attention was centered on the backs of Peeta's knuckles as they grazed my own. My hand twitched involuntarily, and he took the opportunity to link his fingers with mine.

I didn't react outwardly, but got a fluttery feeling in my stomach. The urge to fight him on this small action reared its ugly head, but I surprised myself and decided to allow it for the moment. From the corner of my eye, I could see the smile that stretched across Peeta's face.

While I had allowed Peeta to hold my hand while in the middle of a crowd of people so thick that no one could see, as soon as the crowd started to dissipate, I pulled my hand away. I wasn't trying to seem rude; I just really couldn't deal with more trouble from anyone.

It was a good thing I did it before the crowd had thinned too much, too. I could see Mrs. Mellark's look of distaste when she spotted her youngest son standing beside me, and stepped back in order to create space in between us.

Peeta's puzzled expression became more certain once he saw his mother's glare. He rolled his eyes, and then moved to place himself between myself and her line of sight.

"Well," Madge spoke up from beside me. "I have to go do the photo op thing with my dad and mom, but I'll catch up with you two later."

She, quite obviously, nudged my side with her elbow, and headed in the direction of her parents.

"So, what do you normally do at this thing?" Peeta asked, gesturing around to the festival that was just starting to really get underway.

"Normally, I'm busy making sure that Prim is having a good time." I nodded over to where she and Rory were already standing in line for one of the free games that had been set up. Her hand was clutched tightly in his, and he was beaming down at her as she spoke. "As you can see, my services are not needed this time around."

Peeta laughed. "It does look like you've been replaced."

"Yeah, she'll probably enjoy spending the day with Rory a lot more than she would have with me."

"He's Gale's little brother, right?"

"Right…" I trailed off, unsure of bringing up the subject of Gale. I shifted uncomfortably for a second, and then started to walk with no destination in mind. I ended up standing in the line for the dunking booth, Peeta right behind me.

"He stopped by the bakery this morning." Peeta's voice was low, and I had been so lost in my thoughts that I'd almost missed his words altogether.

"Who did?" A fraction of a second after the question was out of my mouth, I realized that I knew the answer. "What did he say?"

"Not much, really." Peeta looked down at my face and then blushed lightly. "Something along the lines of being capable of breaking my legs if I upset you in any way… Ever."

Both the act of trying to intimidate Peeta and implication of his words made my mouth drop open slightly, and my eyes widen. Peeta might have chuckled at the look on my face, but I couldn't even form a coherent thought in reply to what he had just told me. Before I really had time to work things out in my head, I'd found myself at the front of the line and he was nudging me forward.

My attention snapped to the dunking tank located about twenty feet away when the person running the booth handed me the first of three balls I would be using. Seated in the tank's chair was Mr. Benedict, one of the teachers from our school. I'd never had him for a teacher, as he taught Math for the senior class. Judging from the still perfectly dry clothing and hair he showcased, no one else had been successful in their attempts in dunking him up to that point.

Now, I had nothing against Mr. Benedict. I didn't even know him, to be quite honest. However, I was so irrationally irritated at that moment that I had to work some of that frustration out. It was my personal goal then to hit that target.

I wasn't particular skilled at throwing, but if there was one thing I had on my side, it was excellent aim. The first throw was just left of the target, and I attributed the miss to being unable to get the correct grip on the ball. Dissatisfied with myself, the second throw was a little high, but thrown much harder than I'd realized I could manage. I heard Peeta's sharp intake of breath at the force of the impact it made with the wall behind the target.

With the third ball clutched tightly in my hand, I took a step back. I rolled my shoulders and noticed that some of the tension that had been placed in them by Gale's little escapade that morning had already disappeared. As I drew my arm back to throw, I was pretty proud of myself for using this as an outlet for my unstable temper instead of tracking him down and yelling at him.

The ball cut through the air at a speed higher than the second throw and hit the target dead center. I watched with satisfaction as the seat underneath Mr. Benedict fell away and he plummeted into the water underneath. I only stood there for a second before moving from my spot and walking away quickly.

Keeping my face a blank slate as I moved away was a lot easier than I thought it would be. Peeta followed behind me, not bothering to take his own turn at the booth. Once we were a good distance away, I turned to look at him.

"Nice shot." His voice was low and unsure. I understood then that he might have mistaken my silence as anger toward him. I stood up a little straighter and blew a strand of hair that had come loose from my braid out of my face.

"Thanks. I figured that was a good alternative to pummeling Gale."

He laughed and I was glad to see the confidence return to his demeanor.

Madge rejoined us not long after that, and we spent the rest of that hour watching the residents of District 12 compete in some sort of relay race. We continued to pass the afternoon, watching the people around us, and eating bits of the hot, buttery, popped corn that we only enjoyed once a year.

At 5:00, it was time for everyone in our gym class to line up for the dancing demonstration we would be putting on. The stage in front of the Justice Building was set up for us. Madge smiled at me and linked her arm with mine as we climbed the steps. Even though I would have normally found her excitement silly, I was unable to stop my stomach from knotting when I saw Peeta wink at me from the spot he had already taken on the opposite side of the stage. Madge didn't miss his action.

"What was that?" she hissed at me as more people moved around us to get into place. "Katniss Everdeen, I swear, if you are holding out on me!"

I might have answered her if Coach Marrok hadn't chosen that moment to make his introductions. On second thought, I probably wouldn't have because I really had no idea what to tell her. Somehow, _'Well, Madge, we're just friends, but I have feelings for him that definitely aren't just friendship, and I'm pretty sure that he feels the same way, but I'm scared. Really scared' _just didn't seem right. No matter how true it was.

I was a little caught off guard, not having realized how long I'd been contemplating the situation, when I heard the music start. I began to move to the center of the stage, following everyone else's examples, even though I was momentarily clueless as to what dance we were supposed to start with.

Still lost by the time I got to the middle, I reached out for Peeta's hand just a few seconds too soon. I saw that no one else had joined hands with their partner yet and, for an instant, thought of pulling my hand back to my side. When I felt is palm flush against mine, and his fingers give mine a gentle squeeze, I immediately felt better, and dismissed the notion.

With his grip secure and his eyes locked onto mine, the safety that I felt had me contemplating whether I would want to ever let go at all.

I made my way through the next few dances without incident. It wasn't until the final dance, the one that I had taught Peeta in his bedroom earlier in the week that another misstep occurred. We were half-way through the dance, one of his hands in mine and the other at my waist, when Madge's partner took just a few steps too many, causing our backs to collide.

I stumbled into Peeta and fell flush against his body. He planted his feet firmly to ensure that he didn't lose his footing as well, and I could feel my cheeks reddening as we stood there, unmoving, pressed against one another. I was sure he would be able to feel my heart pounding. As I took a step back to return to our previous position, he tightened his hold on my waist and refused to let me move away from him.

Inside my head, I was struggling with myself over whether I should fight him on his actions, or not. It only took a second for me to remember that we were on stage, in front of the entire district and struggling with him would only draw more attention. I narrowed my eyes slightly at him and received a smirk in return. We finished the rest of the dance in that close proximity of each other. I was grateful that the moves came to me like second nature, because I wasn't able to focus on anything other than the way his body felt pressed against my own.

Peeta had brought our intertwined hands from their spot in the air, out to our sides, to hover in between our bodies, right around his left shoulder. I was unable to look forward, unless I just wanted to stare at his collar bone, so I tried to focus on a spot beside his ear. I tried to look anywhere but at his face, but ended up failing miserably.

The dance ended and I stepped back quickly to put some space between us. I was starting to find it hard to breathe. All of the dancers took a bow, and accepted the applause from the people watching. Once we were given permission, I made my way down the steps, Peeta right behind me.

"_**Peeta Mellark**_, just what do you think you're doing?"

I heard Mrs. Mellark's screech almost as soon as my feet had touched down on the dirt at the bottom of the steps. I turned to see her making her way toward us through the crowd, the look on her face absolutely livid. Peeta moved to my side.

"How _dare_ you embarrass me like tha—," her words were cut off when she was so close I could almost reach out and touch her. I blinked in surprise as my own mother stepped in between us.

"Now, Moira, I thought that they did a lovely job." My mother's smile was stretched unnaturally wide across her face, and the look in her eyes was nothing, if not a challenge. She laid her small, delicate hand on Mrs. Mellark's larger forearm, and redirected her focus from us to herself. "How _have_ you been? It's been the longest time."

I watched in awe as my mother transformed into the confident, attention deserving woman that I hadn't seen in years. Peeta nudged me forward. I started to walk away, but looked back over my shoulder to see that his mother was at a loss for words, and took a step back before stuttering out a reply that I didn't hear.

Once we were far enough away, I sat down on a stone bench outside of one of the shops. Peeta sat beside me, his shoulder brushing my own.

"You're just trying to piss her off, aren't you?"

I kicked the side of his foot with mine, and he retaliated by knocking his knee into the side of my leg. He smiled at me and I found my expression mirroring his.

"It was worth it."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong> Once again, thank you for all the reviews and alerts that this story has gotten! I apologize for taking longer than usual to upload this chapter, but it's been a rough week. This story will have only 1 or 2 chapters after this one, and will hopefully be updated sometime early next week. :)


	11. Chapter 11

By the time it had started getting dark, the bonfire was already built with a crowd of people around it. Most of the residents gathered around were either younger, like us, or those without kids of their own. Exceptions were made, of course, but for the most part that was the trend.

After her conversation with my mother earlier, I was happy to discover that Mrs. Mellark had headed home early. I was unsure of how to repay her, but felt like something needed to be done. I eventually decided to make sure that my mother's time spent at the first festival she'd attended since my father's death would be filled with things that would remind her of how our family used to be.

That was how, after the meal she had insisted Peeta eat with us, we all ended up gathered around the huge fire. Wooden benches had been set up around its perimeter, but I settled on top of an old, worn blanket spread out on the ground in front of them instead. Peeta stunned me by taking a seat behind me, next to my mother. The ease with which they had gotten along that afternoon had been a pleasant surprise for me.

I shouldn't have been as astounded as I was. Peeta was probably the easiest person to get along with that I'd ever met.

I surveyed all of the groups of people that had assembled around the huge bonfire. Even during the festival, there was still a very distinct separation between the people from town and the people that lived in the Seam. Merchant groups were on one side of the gathering, with groups from the Seam situated across from them, the fire in between. With my family, the Hawthornes, Peeta, and Madge, our assortment of both Seam and town residents must have looked completely out of place.

To our right sat a group of miners and their families. From the looks sent our way, I gathered that some of them might have worked with my father years before. My mother smiled softly in their direction, and they waved back politely. I could tell from the flicker of panic that crossed her face as she turned in the other direction that she was feeling somewhat uncomfortable. I scrambled to think of something to make her feel better.

When Peeta's voice cut through the quiet, I breathed a sigh of relief.

"So, Mrs. Everdeen," he started, smiling brightly. "I just wanted to say 'thank you' for asking me to have dinner with you all. I really do appreciate it."

The sincerity in his words made her eyes soften. She reached out to place a hand on his shoulder, and smiled.

"You are very welcome, Peeta." A mischievous glint that I had never seen in her eyes appeared. "And you_ will_ have to apologize to your mother for me. I hate that I interrupted whatever it was she was going to speak with you about earlier."

My mouth dropped open, and everyone in our group fell completely silent. A muffled sounding laugh came from behind me and I looked back to see Peeta with his hand clapped over his mouth. It was followed by a very unladylike snort from Prim and soon everyone, even Gale and Madge, was laughing.

"I'll be sure to pass along the message." Peeta finally replied in between snickers.

It wasn't long afterward that Ripper started to make her way around the bonfire, managing to share some of the spiked apple cider that she made every year. As usual, she only visited members of the Seam; people that she knew wouldn't turn her in to the Peacekeepers. The shocked look her face when she saw my mother sitting with us was clear. She took a moment to place the large thermos she had been carrying down beside her, and gripped my mother's shoulder with her hand. As far as I knew, Ripper lost her arm in the mines a few years before the accident that took my father, but she had known him.

"It's good to see you here tonight," she whispered. Before mother could respond, Ripper had filled not only the cup in front of my mother, but mine and Peeta's as well. She swallowed hard while nodding her head, filled Mrs. Hawthorne and Gale's cups, and moved on to the next group. My mom discreetly wiped at her eyes, and followed that action with a huge gulp from the cup in front of her.

Just then, the opening chords of a song that pretty much everyone in the district knew rang out from a guitar not too far away from us. Within seconds, people were tapping their feet, swaying in their seats, and singing along. I was immensely grateful for the distraction from the awkward moment that had just transpired.

I smiled when I noticed my mother's foot tapping along with the music. Peeta must have noticed it as well because he leaned forward then, and placed a hand on my shoulder. I looked up at him and smiled wider. Feeling a little bolder, probably due to the drink in my hand, I scooted backward and settled with my back against his legs. I turned my face back to the fire, and enjoyed the feeling of being so close to him.

I took the time to survey our little gathering once again.

My mother and Mrs. Hawthorne were sitting beside each other, talking. Mother bounced Posy, the youngest of the Hawthornes on her lap, and Vick was clinging to his mother's legs as they hummed along with the music. They had always been friends, but I didn't think that I had ever seen them this relaxed around each other before.

Prim and Rory were sitting side by side, holding each other's hands, and laughing about something one of them had said. Prim had never had any difficulty showing affection, so it didn't surprise me when she leaned over to kiss Rory's cheek lightly. His eyes caught mine, and he blushed.

Madge was sitting on the same bench, with Gale beside her. I watched as she sat, her legs turned toward him, listening intently to whatever he was talking about. She smiled, and her laugh rang out over the music. Her eyes flitted over to me, and I quirked an eyebrow at her. She winked at me, and her smile widened. Gale followed her gaze, and locked his eyes with mine. He offered me a small smile, and nodded slightly at Peeta's hands that were still on my shoulders. He quickly looked away, and continued talking to Madge.

The songs continued for a long while. As my family's happiness and content washed over me, I started to enjoy the night more and more. I hadn't felt so at ease in a very long time, and allowed myself to loosen up and relax. I found myself leaning a bit more onto Peeta's legs, and involuntarily shivered as I felt his fingers graze the back of my neck.

He and Gale had actually started up a conversation, and he was leaned over Madge to speak with him. He started to absent-mindedly play with the shorter hairs that had escaped my braid at the nape of my neck. That behavior wasn't what I would normally allow, but for some reason I couldn't find any want to fight it.

The songs continued on, and though I knew most of them, the opening notes to one really grabbed my attention. I sat up a little straighter, and noticed from the corner of my eye that my mother and Prim were doing the same.

The man singing didn't have a voice nearly as beautiful as my father's had been, but just hearing the words again stirred something inside of me. My father had sang and taught me many songs, but that one always stood out because he'd constantly said it reminded him of my mother, and their courtship.

I leaned back a little more, resting the back of my head on Peeta's knee, and closed my eyes.

"_Once again she steals away__  
>Then she reaches out to kiss me<br>And how she takes my breath away  
>Pretending that she won't miss me<em>

_Oohh I would bleed to love her_  
><em>Bleed to love her<em>  
><em>Oohh I would bleed to love her<em>

_And once again she calls to me_  
><em>Then she vanishes in thin air<em>  
><em>And how she takes my breath away<em>  
><em>Pretending that she's don't care<em>

_Oohh I would bleed to love her_  
><em>Bleed to love her<em>  
><em>Oohh I would bleed to love her<em>

_Somebody's got to see this through_  
><em>All the world is laughing at you<em>  
><em>Somebody's got to sacrifice<em>  
><em>If this whole thing's going to turn out right<em>

_Oohh I would bleed to love her_  
><em>Bleed to love her<em>  
><em>Oohh I would bleed to love her…"<em>

I hadn't realized that I was actually singing until the song ended and I opened my eyes. Everyone sitting near us had fallen silent, and I swallowed hard as my mother whispered something to herself. She looked up then, and I could see that her eyes were shining with unshed tears, but there was a smile on her face.

"I had forgotten…" She cleared her throat. "I had forgotten that you have his voice."

"Mom, I -," I started, not wanting to upset her, but was interrupted.

"Thank you. I'd missed hearing someone I love sing."

* * *

><p>Hours later, once the crowds had started to scatter and everyone else had gone their separate ways, Peeta and I remained by the fire. Even though the spot beside him on the bench was no longer occupied, I chose to remain seated in front of him.<p>

Any sideways glances, or dirty looks that came our way from merchant and Seam residents alike, I was able to ignore. The feeling of Peeta's fingers still playing with the hairs at the nape of my neck, and the comforting tone of his voice as he told me stories about him and his older brothers growing up comforted me. They reassured me that being there with him was the right choice.

"You know," Peeta said as his fingers stilled and his voice got lower. "I remember the first time that I heard you sing."

"What are you talking about?"

I searched my mind for any other opportunity Peeta might have had to hear me sing, and came up with nothing. I turned to face him, my head hovering slightly above his knee. He let out a soft laugh, and looked at the fire in front of him instead of at me.

"That same day that my father pointed you out across the school yard. That day, in the music assembly, the teacher asked who knew the valley song. Your hand shot right up in the air. She stood you up on a stool and had you sing it for us. And I swear… every bird outside the windows fell silent..."

I watched as he opened his mouth to continue, but closed it instead. I sat, in awe of his memory. I could barely recall that happening at all.

"I must have really made an impression," I replied, my voice came out softer than I had meant for it to.

"You did."

He turned his face back to mine, and I could hear the blood rushing in my ears. His Adam's apple bobbed up and down as he gulped. I tracked its motions with my eyes, and felt my face start to heat up. After a moment, I moved my eyes up to meet his and it was my turn to swallow hard at the intensity that I saw.

I stood up abruptly, and gathered the blanket I had been sitting on into my arms. I turned to a confused Peeta, and extended my hand for him to take.

"I want to show you something."

I breathed a sigh of relief as he took my hand without question. As we walked away from the bonfire, hand in hand, I fought an internal battle with my resolve. We were nearing the outskirts of the Seam when I looked over at him; all of the confidence of my actions was returned when I saw the shy smile on his face. I started to walk faster, urging him to keep up.

Once we started nearing the fence, I glanced around to ensure there was no one nearby. Since most of the district's residents had returned to their homes for the evening, the Peacekeepers were nowhere to be found. I felt Peeta's grip on my hand tighten as I began to lean down in order to shimmy underneath. I turned back to look at him, my face tilted up. He looked down at me, uncertainty written across his features.

I squeezed his fingers with mine, and offered him a smile.

"It's alright. Trust me."

I let go of his hand then, and gathered the skirt of my dress to one side. I quickly slipped underneath the fence, and spun around to look at him through the wires. He looked down at the hole beneath the fence and back up at me. It was easy for me to forget that it wasn't a normal occurrence for others to sneak under the fence the way that I did multiple times a week.

"Come on, Peeta. If Gale can fit under there, so can you."

He raised his eyebrows and cocked his head to the side. I bent at the waist and grabbed the lowest section of wire, raising it as high as I could in order to make him feel more comfortable. I looked back up at him, and swept one hand out in front of me in an exaggerated gesture for him to go under.

He smiled at me, and bent low to crawl underneath. I took a deep breath to try and calm the bubbly feeling in my stomach. I hadn't realized that I was staring at the muscles in his back and shoulders until Peeta looked up caught me in the act. I was grateful that my face was hidden in a shadow, pivoted on my heel and beckoned for him to follow me.

After walking for a minute or so, I retrieved my bow from its spot in the hollow log. I expected Peeta to question me on that action, but he didn't. I guessed that he understood the possible threat that the wild animals in the woods posed. I slung the bow and quiver over my shoulder and we were then on our way.

The woods were dark and I had never made the journey at night, but there was enough moonlight to lead the way. I also knew the path like the back of my hand, so I wasn't terribly worried. We had been walking for quite a while when Peeta's hand slipped back into mine. No words were spoken, but it was a comfortable silence between us.

I was jerked to a stop when the toe of Peeta's shoe got caught up in a tree root. He stumbled, but righted himself quickly. I could hear the embarrassment in his voice when he began to apologize.

"Sorry… Sorry. It's just that I've never been out here before. Things are a lot different."

"You don't have to apologize. The first time my father brought me into the woods… Well, I fell into a mud puddle because I wasn't watching where I was going. There's a lot to take in."

"This is what you wanted to show me, right? The woods, I mean? Or was there something else?"

"You'll know it when you see it." I smiled at him, and we continued to walk.

We walked for almost an hour before we arrived at our destination. If Peeta had grown tired, he didn't mention it. I moved from in front of him, and stood silently at his side once we got to the clearing. I watched his face as he set his eyes on the lake for the first time, and wasn't disappointed by his reaction.

His eyes grew wide and his mouth dropped open at the sight in front of him. I observed the way that the pale moonlight highlighted the planes of his face, and caught his eyes as they moved around to take in everything in view. He dropped my hand and took a step forward slowly. He turned to me, just as slowly, and smiled.

"Wow."

"I know."

I had never seen the lake at night, either. It would never compete with the beauty it held during the day, with the sun glinting off its surface, but it was breathtaking nonetheless. I walked past Peeta and headed closer, to the stone house that sat near the shore. I reached the door, ready to walk in when he spoke up from behind me.

"Nobody… No one _lives_ here, right?"

"No. This place has empty for as long as I can remember. For as long as my dad could remember, too." I paused to look back at him, only to see that he was still staring out at the water. "You can wait out here if you want. I'm just going to start a fire."

He nodded, and walked closer to the lake. I watched him until he stopped to lean against the very tree I had sat against only a week before. Satisfied that he was okay, I stepped through the door.

Just as I had suspected, the concrete dwelling was cold and damp inside. I pulled a few pieces of wood from the pile I always kept stocked up in the corner, and went to work on starting a small fire. Once I was convinced that it wouldn't go out, I went back outside to join Peeta.

I crouched down beside him, resting on my knees so I wouldn't get my dress dirty. He looked over at me, and placed a hand on my forearm.

"Katniss, this place is amazing. I mean, up until now, the largest body I've ever seen in person was my bathtub."

I laughed at the joke, and smiled so wide that my cheeks started to hurt. The fact that he seemed to appreciate the beauty of the lake as much as I did meant more to me than I thought it would.

"I'm glad that you like it. My father showed it to me. We used to come here together before he died."

"I love it. I wish that I could paint it… but daylight would probably be needed to really capture all the details…"

"I didn't know you painted."

He simply shrugged, and we fell back into a comfortable silence.

We sat there for who knows how long, just staring out over the water. At some point, Peeta had shifted closer to me, and my side was resting against his. The night was rapidly cooling off, and I shivered slightly.

I moved my hands to the back of my head and began to undo my braid. Once I was finished, I shook my hair out, letting it fall down my back and over my shoulders. I moved my head to see that Peeta was staring at me, his lips parted slightly.

"What?" My question came out in a whisper.

"I've never seen you with your hair down before."

"Oh… umm… My, my neck was getting cold…." I started to push the hair back from my shoulders, but stopped when Peeta grabbed my wrist. He moved my hand back down to my lap, and brought his up to move the hair back into its previous place. His fingertips lightly trailed down the length of my hair, barely grazing my shoulder and forearm in the process. I was unable to suppress the tremble his touch elicited.

"Katniss, earlier when I was talking about the first time I heard you sing…"

Peeta's voice was low, and he was leaning in closer. My breathing was becoming more labored than usual, and once again, I could actually hear my heartbeat. Unfortunately, that wasn't the only sound that I could hear. I jerked back and jumped to my feet, pulling Peeta with me.

"What's wro—," Peeta started to speak, but I quickly placed my finger to his lips.

"Ssshhh…. Do you hear that?" My reply was spoken in a whisper. I didn't wait for him to speak his reply because I saw on his face that he heard the howls as well. "Well, Peeta, looks like you'll get to see the lake in the daylight after all."

I started to direct him toward the house and noticed the confused look on his face.

"Those are wild dogs. And they're getting closer." I explained to him as we reached the door. "I'm not sure how happy they'll be to see us here, but I do know that I'm not really prepared to take on a whole pack in the dark."

He nodded in reply, and I shut the door behind us. I moved to the window, made room for Peeta to stand beside me, and looked out at the other side of the lake. Sure enough, within just a few minutes, I could see the pack of coyotes making their departure from the trees on the opposite side of the water.

I looked over at Peeta and pointed my finger.

"See? They'll more than likely smell that we're here. They aren't used to humans being in the woods at night, or at all, really. They probably won't leave until morning."

"So, we're here for the night then?"

His face showed little concern at his conclusion, and I felt a smile tugging at the corners of my lips.

"We're here for the night."

I turned from the window and went to tend to the fire. The room was heating up surprisingly well and, for that, I was thankful. The only other source of heat we had was the thin blanket I had brought from the bonfire. I slid down the wall that faced the fireplace, crossing my legs out in front of me, and realized there was still an excellent view out of the window.

Peeta sat down next to me, and I bumped his shoulder with mine.

"Sorry."

"Eh, I can think of worse things." He smiled at me, and reached over to grab my hand. "Besides, it'll give me time to work up the nerve to finish what I started to say outside."

I had almost forgotten what he was talking about, but suddenly the feeling that I'd had outside underneath that tree, as his face had leaned closer to mine returned. The fire in the pit of my stomach started to bloom upward, and my chest tightened.

"Oh?" I replied, trying my best to keep my voice even. "And what was it that you were going to say?"

"You'll know it when you hear it," he essentially repeated my words from earlier to me and smiled.

I laughed and we fell back into an easy silence, both watching the clouds cross over the moon through the window. Over the next couple of hours, we went back and forth from quietly staring out the glass, to talking about whatever popped into our minds. After a while, I yawned and heard Peeta chuckle from beside me.

"Maybe we should get some sleep," he suggested.

I nodded my head and got up to put some more wood in the fire to ensure we wouldn't be too cold. I picked up the threadbare rug that was laid out in front of the fireplace and shook it out the best that I could. I placed it back down in front of the flames.

"I figure it'd be best to sleep closer to the fire…," I offered lamely. I sat down on the edge of the rug and waited him to do the same. I saw that he was hesitating, and rolled my eyes. "Oh, lay down, Peeta. It's okay. Promise."

Peeta took his spot on the rug and immediately lay down on his side, his back to the flames. I followed suit, lying down on my side to face him. I stretched my left arm out and rested my head on the crook of my bent elbow. He mirrored my position, our elbows barely touching.

"Can you grab the blanket on the floor behind you?"

He turned and picked the blanket up from the floor. His body shifted as he rolled back over, lessening the distance between us. After spreading the blanket out over us, he returned to laying on his side, this time our elbows touching, and faces closer. He took the hand that wasn't cradled underneath his head and sought mine out between our bodies below the cover.

Despite the less than ideal surroundings, and the hard floor underneath us, the intimacy of the moment was not lost on me. Unable to think of anything to say, I slowly started to hum the song from earlier in the night that had been stuck in my head ever since. I had begun to close my eyes when Peeta started to speak.

"Katniss," he started; his voice low and soft. "That first time… when I heard you sing, I… Well, I knew then…"

His voice trailed off, and I opened my eyes completely. I lifted my chin so that our faces were level and watched as he unconsciously wet his lips with his tongue. I felt as if I was about to burst into a million pieces when I met his eyes with mine.

My voice came out as barely a whisper.

"Knew what?"

Peeta pulled our interlocked hands up, and carefully released mine. He then gently pushed a section of my hair out of my face and back over my shoulder. I let out the breath that I had been holding, and stilled as his brought his face closer to my own.

The implication of his actions washed over me and I blinked slowly. His hand moved from my shoulder, up my neck and came to a rest, gently cupping my cheek. He leaned in closer, and the pad his thumb lightly grazed my lips fractions of a second before he pressed his to them. His lips were warm and soft, moving against my own and I shocked myself by returning the kiss almost immediately.

I had no idea what I was doing and thus, followed Peeta's lead. The heat that had pooled in my belly was quickly reigniting into the all-out fire from earlier. I moved my lips against his own, and was surprised at the quiet moan of pleasure I elicited from him as I gently took his bottom lip between both of mine. In one swift motion, he pulled me closer so that my head was resting on his arm, our bodies nearly flush against each other. The hand of the arm I was lying on supported the back of my head while the other was still caressing the side of my face.

I was vaguely aware of the fabric of his shirt that was bunched in my hand as I grasped at his chest. The other hand found itself wound into the blonde curls at the back of his head, urging his face even closer to my own.

When we finally broke apart a shaky exhale passed through my lips, and I looked over at Peeta. His face was flush, and the rise and fall of his chest was fast. When our eyes finally met, nothing could have stopped the smile that overtook my face. With a sudden boost of confidence, I leaned in once more to place a light kiss on the corner of his mouth. Peeta's hand moved from my cheek down to my waist, and he offered a smile of his own as he brought me even closer.

"As wonderful as that was… You still didn't answer my question," I somehow managed to say through the fog that was clouding my brain. "You knew what?"

I pulled my lower lip in between my teeth and grinned at him. As he brought his lips close to my ear, I shivered involuntarily at the feeling of his warm breath on my cheek. He softly kissed the skin beside my ear before he whispered his reply.

"That I was a goner."

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><p>The End.<p>

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><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>I just want to thank everyone that's stuck with this story 'til the end! I've had a lot of fun writing it, and am so appreciative of all of the reviews and alerts it's received. :)

I have another HG story in the works, but it could be a week or so before I upload the first chapter here, but hopefully you'll enjoy it as well!


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